Celestial Shadows, page 14
part #4 of Celestial Marked Series
Speaking of whom? I knew they were up to no good. As for Clover, for the first time, she’d been unable to give me helpful advice. It floored me. She knew heaven. She’d been there. What would she think if I told her about the creature that had attacked me? It gave me a headache even thinking about it.
“Right,” I said, putting my plate aside. “My first order of business for the day is to find a demon with the ability to clone itself so I can go and stop Zadok, Javos, the rogue celestials and the arch-demons from breaking things all at the same time. Oh, and tell the guild. Not that they have the resources to stop an army of their own. On top of that, my evil doppelganger is wandering around Purgatory.”
“Evil doppelganger?” asked Rachel, grabbing a piece of bacon out of the pan.
“She claimed to be a new creation of heaven. She looked like my walking reflection. These—” I held up my hands to show the marks—“were reversed. Seriously creepy. Then she blasted celestial magic into me and claimed to be able to burn the demon right out of me. I managed to get out, but I was dying. I needed demonic power.”
And now I have some. I’d taken in an indeterminate amount of Zadok’s power. He could use the shadows to hide himself—and create clones. Hmm. Might come in handy.
“I would guess that it’s heaven’s way of reacting against the arch-demons,” said Nikolas, snatching the pan out of Rachel’s reach before she burned her fingers on it. “But that creature shouldn’t have been able to counter your demon mark. Your celestial and demonic powers are equal. Only a true angel might be able to undo them.”
Or an arch-demon. Or… a Divinity. She’d been none of those things. “I have no idea what she was, but I’m pretty sure she’s not the only rogue in Purgatory. The guild needs to be warned. They must have the resources to defend against their own. It’s not like they’ve never jailed a celestial before.” Rare, but it happened. “I need to speak to them in person, but there’s also Lydia to consider. That creature that looks like me—maybe it’s the one committing murder. If it’s not the celestials, it’s the next logical choice. And now Zadok’s on the loose. Does Javos know none of this?”
“No,” he said, biting into a piece of toast, “but he’s aware that there might be another incident like the venos demons and is also taking steps.”
“There’s a world of difference between a few scorpions and the apocalypse. What’d happen if I opened a pentagram leading to Babylon on top of those celestials?”
“Nothing good,” he said, dismissively brushing crumbs of the front of his shirt. “They’d attack my own army of warlocks, my father would smite them, and then he’d turn on earth’s celestials.”
“Damn.” So much for that idea. “What does that leave us with?”
“Babylon,” he said. “Zadok will be there, most likely, and if I find him, I intend to know what he did to replenish his power. It shouldn’t have been possible for him.”
“He gave me some.” I ran my fingers over my demon mark. It came as a relief when it responded with no pain, not like when the fires of heaven had burned inside me. “Shadow power.”
“Devi,” Nikolas said warningly, but I’d already slipped into shadows.
I waved my hands around. “Neat trick. Can I sense him like this? Wait, can’t you sense him?” I let the shadows disappear and returned to my seat at the table. Rachel gave a round of applause.
“Not here,” he said. “There are too many warlocks living close together in the city. As for Babylon… normally I would be able to easily detect him, but not with the arch-demon close by. His aura masks everyone else’s.”
“And he and Abyss had a nice discussion. Maybe he wants to get into it with Lythocrax next.”
His mouth thinned. “I don’t know why he’s staying. If he expects something from earth… but he’s expressed no interest in the bridge. It might be that he plans to act against Abyss after all.”
Or he’s like the others. Not acting on his own orders. “Maybe. One problem at a time. The rogue celestials… or the murders. Which first? Javos hasn’t hurt Lydia?”
The guild certainly seemed to be taking their sweet time coming out in defence of one of their own members. I almost wanted to let them fall, but the majority of people there were innocent. They didn’t deserve to be taken over by murderous cultists. Frustration burned deep inside me. Where in hell had the angels gone?
The fallen.
Of all people who might know where their predecessors were—the fallen might. They were the ones who’d clued me in about the ritual to upgrade to Grade Four in the first place.
Problem: Casthus had them in his castle, and thanks to my ill-advised trip to Purgatory, I’d possibly missed my shot at rescuing them.
“I’ll handle Javos,” said Rachel. “Nobody else was murdered, so he can hold off on attacking the celestials for now. As for the rogues… sorry, no clue.”
The rogues could collectively destroy the city’s entire warlock population if so inclined. Not to mention the guild.
I have to stop them. I blew out a breath. “Right. The fallen it is.”
“What?” said Nikolas. “Who said anything about the fallen?”
“I just did. They might know who’s messing up in heaven.”
“Or you might poke the arch-demon,” Rachel added.
“Did Casthus ever actually return from Pandemonium?” I asked. “Wouldn’t we have felt it if he did?”
Nikolas frowned. “Perhaps. If not… he might return at any moment. It’s risky.”
“Zadok might be there,” I said. “If we can confirm he’s not on earth, Javos need never know he was here, and that’s two of our problems solved.”
“I doubt you’ll get that lucky,” said Rachel.
“You’re supposed to cheer for me.”
“That’s Fiona’s job. I’m the voice of reason.”
I snorted. “Sure you are. Thanks for getting Javos off my back. I’m going to need all the luck I can get.”
Nikolas shook his head. “I’m weakened. I can’t get us both out of there if it turns out the arch-demon did come back.”
“Lucky I stole someone’s power.” A brief rush of guilt rose. “But seriously—the fallen were the children of the Divinities. They knew how the ritual worked for making someone a Grade Four. They’ll talk.” At least, I hoped they would.
“I hope they do,” said Nikolas. “Otherwise, heaven is in for a reckoning.”
Not just heaven. Whatever the Devi creature I’d faced was, I was certain it was killing the warlocks… and that nobody but me carried both demonic and angelic power to stop her.
14
Before we left, I called Fiona over, to reassure her I was okay, while Nikolas checked into Babylon to make sure our evil shadowy overlord hadn’t made an unexpected reappearance. Rachel, meanwhile, went to check Javos hadn’t done anything rash, and to send Fiona my way if she was at the warlocks’ place. I needed to tell the celestial guild about the rogues in person, ideally, but Babylon couldn’t wait. Nor could I think of a tactful way to tell them their own members were planning to single-handedly take over the war with heaven. But if the enemy had given them the upgrades, they weren’t on the guild’s side either. Someone had to tell them. And I’d drawn the short straw yet again.
“Hey there,” I said, when someone picked up the phone. “Can you put me through to the person at the guild with the highest celestial ranking?”
“That would be me,” Inspector Deacon answered.
“They’ve got you answering phones now? Don’t hang up,” I added hastily. “I have something important to tell you.”
“Contrary to what you apparently believe, I have important work to be doing.”
“Theoretically, Sir, what would you do if I went rogue?”
There was a pause on the other end of the line. “Is this a confession?”
“No, it bloody well isn’t. I’d like to know if you have a contingency plan if I decide to run amok with my celestial power and single-handedly declare war on heaven.”
“Considering your role is supposed to be to fight on the side of heaven, despite your dealings, the guild would leave you to it.”
I wished I could punch him through the phone. “And if I went rogue and started attacking warlocks?”
“Attacking them rather than fornicating with them? I don’t need to hear your relationship drama.”
“Pull your head out of your arse,” I told him. “I’m not talking about me. I’m talking about other celestials, and if you’re going to be obtuse, then imagine there are celestials with my level of power who might want to usurp the guild’s highest members. What would you do if they tried?”
“The only highly ranked members aside from yourself answer to heaven, and us.”
“Yeah, nope,” I said. “That hasn’t been true for a while. Did you ever keep tabs on Harvey… no idea what his surname is?”
“I believe he’s listed as dead. Your point?”
“He’s not dead. He was reborn as a Grade Four. I felt their power. The angels upgraded him, and quite a few others, too.”
“What?” snapped the inspector. “You’re lying.”
“I’m not. Lydia is locked up for their crimes, but it’s likely they’re working with the killer.”
If he didn’t believe his own people were rogues, he wouldn’t believe there was a creepy Devi-doppelganger going around murdering warlocks, either. And realistically, there wasn’t a whole lot the warlocks themselves could do against her, even Javos. They didn’t frequent Purgatory. The top-ranking celestials did. And they were immune.
More to the point, they knew I was a wild card. I’d have thought they’d have a plan in place to capture me if it came down to it—even if they’d refuse to tell me the details, for obvious reasons.
“Killer?” he said.
I groaned. “The warlocks’ killer. They’re blaming the guild, and you by extension, but there are a bunch of rogues out there and I’m not about to send the warlocks after them. Since I know you’ve wanted to get your hands on me for a while, I thought I’d let you do the honours.”
“You’re a liar,” he said. “What reason would I have to believe that anyone not tempted by hell would betray us?”
“Oh, they’re working with hell, all right,” I said. “I didn’t see any demon marks, but that doesn’t mean their orders aren’t coming from that direction.”
I suspected not, but if I told him heaven was likely giving them orders, he’d clam up. If the guild took out the celestial rogues without finding out they were answering to their own so-called allies, then I’d have one less problem to worry about.
“Bring me proof,” he growled.
“What, bring them directly to you?” I asked. “I can’t do that. I told you—they want to take over the guild. If I bring them into your headquarters, I’m potentially setting a demon loose. They’re unpredictable and clearly have a plan. All I ask is that you take the threat seriously. I can even facilitate a meeting, but I wanted to gauge whether you actually have the necessary firepower to take out a dozen or so rogue celestials.”
“Absurd,” he said. “Why would I listen to you? Your antics nearly got me killed. You did get the others killed.”
“Feel free to toss around blame later,” I said. “Fine. You know nobody can reach Grade Four without visiting Purgatory. That’s where their upgrades used to take place. So: have you been there recently? Seen anything odd?”
His tone was sharp. “That information is confidential. You never should have been allowed there in the first place.”
“I’m trying to save your damn necks again,” I snapped. “I’ve been there recently. If you have too, then you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.”
“What you need to understand, Devi,” he growled, “is that none of the top echelons of this guild have been able to get into Purgatory since your little stunt.”
My heart sank into the earth. “What? I didn’t bring anyone with me. They might even have turned before I did.”
But… I’d been allowed in.
And that creature who looked like me had been to earth… more than once. Recently. So why would the other celestials no longer be able to get in? Damn. I didn’t have the power to bring that monster down on my own, not until I knew what it was.
A hand closed around my throat, lifting me off the ground. My phone slipped from my grip as my vision darkened at the edges.
Javos.
Shit a brick. I hadn’t seen him sneak up on me.
With a horrible crunch, his foot came down on my phone, smashing it into fragments. He wasn’t using telekinesis. He was really, really pissed off.
“Rogues?” he said. “You caught the killer but neglected to tell me?”
“Put… me… down,” I gasped. Shadows exploded from my right hand, wrapping around him, dragging both of us into the shadowy between-world of my own creation.
He dropped me. I landed on my feet, glad Rachel’s boots held off the impact. Wheezing, sucking air into my lungs, I pressed my fingers to my bruised neck. “You’re going to regret that.”
“Remove us from this place immediately,” he said. Oh. The shadows. He’d likely know I stole the magic from Zadok, but I’d go scrounging for a fuck to give when I got my breath back.
“Actually,” I gasped out. “I’ve no idea how.”
Classical music blared through the air, and the shadows receded from Nikolas’s front garden.
Rachel ran up to us, wielding a radio. “I’m sorry!” she gasped. From her wild appearance, she’d followed him all the way here on foot. “Devi—” She whirled on Javos. “You bastard.”
His eyes burned, his aura raging. “She’s been holding information on the killer.”
I coughed, my throat dry. “I didn’t know who it was until she nearly killed me last night. And her other target is the guild, so I decided to give them advance warning before I sent you on a rampage.”
“She?” he echoed. “These rogues of yours are the killers, are they?”
“Not to my knowledge. Lydia would have told you about them if you hadn’t terrorised her. I’ve been too busy putting out fires to deal with your temper tantrums.” I rubbed my neck again. “You know, I might pay to watch what Nikolas does to you for this. But maybe I’ll use my own power instead.” My hand blazed with shadows, hungry to devour everything in their path.
Javos stepped backwards, his expression the closest to ashamed I’d ever seen him. “I forgot myself… forgot you’re human.”
“Really?” I said. “Too bad. I’m out, and you can stay away from Fiona as well. Also, I have it on good knowledge that Nikolas has been nominated as your successor at least a dozen times, so he gets my vote for your replacement when we scrape what’s left of you off the floor.”
“That’s a delightful sentiment, Devi,” he said. “But your dear friend Lydia escaped. Leaving this.” He held up a piece of glass, which gleamed faintly gold. Demonglass.
“They’re… using my glass. She is.” Horror coursed through me, momentarily distracting me from my rage. “The killer. I literally found out who the killer is about twelve hours ago, and Nikolas and I nearly died thanks to what she did to me.”
“She?”
“I don’t know what she is. A celestial demon. Doppelganger… she looked exactly like me, but like my reflection.”
In demonglass.
My ability was tied to demonglass in some way. Demonglass absorbed magic, and so did I. But what did that make her?
“Your reflection?” Javos said. “What manner of demon is she?”
“She’s on heaven’s side,” I said. “There’s a rogue working for heaven sending her after warlocks, I guess, but I don’t know how to kill her. She’s no regular demon, nor like anything else I’ve faced. If you want to go into Purgatory, it’s up to you. Hell, I’ll even throw you a farewell party, if it’s all the same to me.”
“Why did you go there?” he growled. “You started this, didn’t you?”
“No. I went there to look for the angels. I found her instead. She’s killing your people to start a war.”
His aura blazed white-hot. “And these rogues of yours? Where are they?”
“I told you, they’re not the killers. And if they are, your warlocks can’t beat them.” Not to mention Javos himself was wildly unpredictable, and if not for the regenerative power I’d picked up from the two demigods, he’d have put me in the hospital for a week with the way he’d half strangled me. Not to mention he’d broken my phone. I hadn’t lied. I would vote in Nikolas as a replacement. Actually, I’d vote for the were-warlock with the deadly paintbrush over him, but that was beside the point.
“Tell me where they are,” he ordered.
“To be honest, Javos, you’ve done absolutely nothing to deserve that information. It’s on the guild, not you.”
“Then we’re at war with heaven,” he said. “I will inform the warlocks—”
“Don’t be rash. The killer is deliberately trying to provoke a war. Besides, the Divinities like to play games with mortals. They’re probably setting us up to entertain them, and we’re walking into their trap. I’ll kill that creature. She won’t get the jump on me again.”
Javos’s blazing eyes narrowed. “You seem certain enough to stake others’ lives on your guesswork considering you nearly died, Devi.”
Ouch. Guess I deserved that one. “If you want to go and face down that creature yourself, you’re more than welcome to. Pretty certain it’s after you anyway, considering it’s trying to provoke the warlocks into a war.”
And you’re rising to the bait.
The Divinities wanted a war. And they’d involve four realms and every conscious being on the side of heaven and hell in order to get it.
He took another step towards me. “Tell me, Devi. I don’t want to hurt you again.”
“Look, Javos, I’ll level with you. I am under a crap-ton of stress. You also just violated what was left of my trust in your ability to do your job, so forget it. If you want into Purgatory, I’ll let you fight the killer. If not, then she’ll keep killing your warlocks. Your choice.”
