Celestial Shadows, page 18
part #4 of Celestial Marked Series
Arcane symbols—the type I’d once dealt with on a daily basis—weren’t just used to summon, but as a type of magic in their own right.
He looked where I pointed. “Whatever they are, they’re not pentagrams.”
Something clipped and sharp in his tone made my blood chill. “What is it?” I asked. “Something about Casthus’s ownership?”
“Worse,” he said grimly. “I know that symbol. It’s a portal.”
“Portal… oh shit.” They were marked as sacrifices. Some portals required blood, and a lot of it. There was a reason bloodstones had been developed, and not initially for vamps—because opening even a regular portal required a surge of energy. I was lucky my celestial power provided that fuel. “Isn’t the arch-demon’s power infinite, though? He can open portals anywhere he likes, as easily as breathing. That’s why he’s even here.”
“There’s a ritual,” he said slowly. “It would have a similar effect as a bridge, except it would link all seven hells at once. I suspect that’s what he plans. It’s not something even an arch-demon can single-handedly achieve.”
My mouth went dry, and a flood of adrenaline jolted me to my feet. “Seven hells? All of them? Why?”
He rose from the sofa, his wings momentarily shadowing his back. “Who knows? To start a war? To compile resources? To go up against heaven?”
“They can’t do things by halves, can they?” I raised my eyes to the ceiling. “Surely he doesn’t need all of them, if he decided to trade them to Abyss. Wait—did she know?”
“I would suspect not, considering it’s her palace that’s likely to be the site of the portal. The other necessary ingredient is demonglass.”
Of course it bloody well would be.
I swore loudly. “It’s the same as last time. There really isn’t an original thought in hell. Abyss is pathetic and everyone knows her weakness. She’s going to cave in.” I could see it now. Another bridge—but worse, and this time with an arch-demon at the helm. “So will the others—or they’ll fight one another. Either way, earth loses.”
The one arch-demon who might have helped me was a manipulating dickhead, who wanted the fallen for his own purposes. Unless…
“Wait,” I said. “Would taking the fallen into a different nether realm stop the bridge? Assuming Casthus can’t get at them?”
Nikolas’s head snapped around to face me. “Yes, it would. But it depends which dimension. Most would be hostile.”
I shook my head. “I shouldn’t. Lythocrax… he wants the fallen himself, but he knew this would happen. Does that mean heaven knows, or…?”
His mouth tightened. “I would guess that Lythocrax himself does, certainly.”
I looked at my feet, at the plain carpet stained in the residue of my own experiments. “He’s driven me into a corner. I can’t keep the fallen here indefinitely, and if the ones on Babylon might be used to make a bridge whenever hell feels like it… I need to get them out. Can the marks be removed?”
He exhaled. “Normally, I’d say no. But you… maybe you can.”
Despite the direness of the situation, something inside me unknotted at his words. At his faith in me. “Not like I have any other options.”
I turned back to the unconscious fallen. I’d drawn the demonic virus out of a bunch of vampires, but my own power was ranked higher than theirs. It wasn’t ranked higher than an arch-demon’s. But it was worth a try. I reached out a hand to the fallen’s chest and touched the nearest circle of symbols, drawing on my demon mark.
The fallen’s eyes flew open, and he flung himself against the pentagram’s edge, his mouth opening in a strangled scream.
“It’s okay,” I said hurriedly. “I was just trying to help.”
Celestial power didn’t remove the symbols, otherwise it already would have when I’d drawn the pentagram. My demon mark hadn’t reacted either. I guess not, then.
Nikolas strode away and returned with another book in his hand. “This details the ritual. It doesn’t go in depth, for obvious reasons.”
I took a step back from the fallen. His milky gaze followed me, and the knot in my chest re-tied itself. He wasn’t one of the Divinity’s disgraced and desperate offspring any longer. He was the shadow demon’s pawn, and if Casthus stole him back, the fallen might be the end of the world as we knew it.
“Hey,” I said, softly, as the fallen looked at me. “Remember me?”
“I’m supposed to kill you… celestial.”
Magic pulsed from his aura, drawing my attention to the dark haze around his body. Rotten. Corrupt. Infected by hell.
I swallowed hard and took the book from Nikolas. I kept one eye on the fallen and his unconscious companion as I skimmed over the page. I understood about half the words. The ritual didn’t detail the actual amount or source of the energy required, but I had to assume the fallen were different from humans or even celestials. They were immortal. So the lives of a few dozen immortals were required… I guessed I saw why nobody had ever completed the ritual before. The real question was: why now? To unite hell against heaven? To mess with his rivals? Or to give the middle finger to the Divinities?
“Tonight,” whispered the fallen. “It’s tonight.”
My blood ran cold. “We have to stop him. Can he do the ritual on any realm, not just Babylon? Like Pandemonium?”
“No,” Nikolas said. “Not without side effects, anyway. Babylon is the perfect location because it’s a dead zone. Setting up a ritual there would damage that world and no others. Pandemonium… it’d cause too much damage, though it wouldn’t surprise me if he ultimately intended to use the bridge to claim that world, too.”
“And… earth?”
“Only a nether realm will do.”
So the fallen would be safe here, if nothing else. I nodded slowly. “Do you definitely have a safe house? I know this isn’t ideal at all, but we’re fresh out of options.”
“I should tell you your plan is reckless and ridiculous,” he said. “But I agree.”
“Who are you and what did you do with Nikolas?”
He tilted his head, amusement momentarily lighting his grim features. “I did say I have temporary accommodation set aside here, under protection. Initially it was in case I needed to move Zadok, but I can house the fallen. Without Casthus close by, they should lose the impulse to attack.”
I looked at the stirring fallen on the right, trying to meet his eyes. “Can you remember who I am?” I asked him.
His gaze flickered. “He has had me only a few days. I remember you freed us.”
I nodded, tossing caution aside. “Do you remember which Divinity abandoned you?”
His gaze flickered. “They all did.”
“Know the name ‘Lythocrax’?”
He shook his head. Slowly. Wait, maybe Lythocrax had been known by a different name when he was a Divinity. Even his true name was probably a new one. Besides, the fallen had likely been abandoned decades ago, if not longer.
“All right,” I said, turning back to Nikolas. “If we’re going to rob an arch-demon, we need a distraction.”
What in hell would distract an arch-demon? Unless Pandemonium’s forces retaliated, which I doubted would happen this quickly. If I hadn’t been there, that shadow demon might even have assassinated Abyss there and then.
Think, Devi. Zadok was one option, but I doubted he’d consent to being used as bait. Neither would the other warlocks, and there was no way Javos would volunteer any warlocks from this realm to help out. Which left… the celestials?
Hang on. “Does this sound crazy?” I asked Nikolas. “I know, it probably does. But the rogue celestials are dead set on waging war against hell with me as their leader. It seems to me that rescuing the children of the Divinities would go a long way towards achieving their goals. Not to mention distract them from taking over the guild.”
“Yes, Devi, that does sound crazy,” he said. “Aren’t they fanatics?”
“Exactly. They’ll probably thank me for it. And they’re not immortals, so he won’t be able to use them in his sacrifice. They think they’re serving heaven. Let him think heaven is behind it. That’s what they want to believe.”
He looked at me with his head slightly tilted on one side. “That’s… devious.”
“Just using my demon side.” I winked. “If I get them to help me… then they’ll go up against hell like they want to without threatening the warlocks or the celestials on earth. It’s a win-win.”
“Unless they turn on you.”
“A Grade Four celestial soldier can’t outrank an arch-demon,” I said. “I know that much. They’re expecting an answer from me soon. So I’ll give them one. Better still, it’ll stop Javos from finding them. For now, at least.”
“They’re outside the city?”
“They’re on the outskirts,” I said. “But I took the liberty of leaving some demonglass behind.”
He was grinning now. “Of course you did.”
I leaned forwards and kissed him. “Be back in a minute.”
Once again, I gripped the demonglass in my pocket tightly, visualising the empty street in the run-down part of town. One flash of light later and I landed on my feet outside the celestial rogues’ place.
Alarms flared up, pentagrams kicking into action as their defences registered my presence. I raised my eyebrows at the flashing lights and raging flames, knowing them to be illusions, and didn’t blink when the rogue celestials swarmed out, surrounding me.
“Have you made your mind up, Devi?” asked Harvey, striding to the front of the group.
“Yes,” I said. “I’ll join you, on one condition. I need your help with something important. Something for heaven.”
Harvey’s brow wrinkled. “Heaven?”
“Have you ever heard of the fallen?”
No recognition registered on his face. “Who are these… fallen? Angels?”
“They are the children of the Divinities,” I said. “They’re currently held captive in hell.”
A ripple went through the group. Some celestials exchanged brief glances, but most kept their attention on me.
“The shadow demon has the children of the Divinities in his grasp.” I went on. “He intends to use them to unleash hell on earth—and tear the realms into pieces.”
As I’d predicted, outraged shouts exploded from the celestials.
“What is this demon?” demanded Harvey.
“The ruler of the shadow realms,” I said. “He’s powerful—invincible, even. But the fallen aren’t. They can be saved. But I can’t do it alone.”
They gradually fell silent. Watching me. My nerves spiked. They were, for all their weird powers and blind devotion to their cause, still human. Pawns of heaven, like me. Odds were, I’d be leading them to a brutal and bloody death.
“I want you to think very carefully about your choice,” I said. “The fallen are the children of the Divinities. If they die, terrible things will happen. But I’m asking you to risk your own lives if you help me. I’m not going to deny that. You might die horribly. The shadow demon is capable of killing even another arch-demon. He’s ruthless and evil, and tonight, he plans to kill every one of the fallen. When they die, all seven hells will unite and make a move against earth.”
I expected questions to fly at me from all directions. Instead, all I got was stunned silence.
“I can show you proof, if you like,” I told them. “I managed to save two of the fallen already, but their souls are bound to the shadow demon. The others will face the same fate, unless I stop them first.”
Harvey glanced at his companions, then at me. “We will see this proof, Devi.”
I thought so. I gripped the demonglass in my pocket again. “You know my ability, right? I can travel through demonglass. I’m not sure how many people I can take with me at once, but only one of you will need to see the proof.”
Rumbling mutters went through the group. It was almost a relief to see them not blindly jumping on board with my plan, because they’d need a dash of common sense if they came with me to Babylon.
“I will go with her,” Harvey told the others.
“Back in a moment.” I grabbed his arm and transported us both onto the landing of Nikolas’s house. I’d taken the liberty of throwing demonglass around so I wouldn’t transport us into my lab, or anywhere which might give away our actual location. A dark landing with plain wallpaper might belong to anyone, and I thanked the gods for Nikolas’s reluctance to actually decorate the place. The fallen’s room lay open, drawing his attention immediately. The two of them were unconscious on pillows we’d laid out on the floor, and Rachel had clothed them to hide the demon marks. But even then, their auras were unmistakeable. Sure enough, a gagging noise came from beside me.
Harvey stared in horror at the fallen. “What—are they?”
“See what hell did?” I said to him. “They were the children of the Divinities. Still are. Their lives are at risk from hell, and if we don’t save them, they’ll all end up the same.”
“The… divine.” He grabbed my arm convulsively. “I’ll do it. Devi.”
I nodded, hoping he wouldn’t vomit on me. “Then let’s go back before your people accuse me of kidnapping you.”
“They would never,” he insisted. “We believe in our cause, Devi.”
They sounded more like they’d been reading fanfic about me on the DivinityWatch forums, but I needed all the allies I could get at this point. The celestials wouldn’t hurt the fallen—if anything, they seemed to worship them. Plus they’d be distracted from the guild for a bit. Of course, if the guild suddenly decided to start taking some damned responsibility, then we might have a situation, but if luck held, we’d be back before they even knew.
In a flash, Harvey and I reappeared beside the other rogue celestials.
“She speaks the truth,” he said to them, still looking a little pale. “The fallen—hell has taken them. We will not let them take more.”
I turned to the others. “Are you absolutely certain you want to go ahead with my plan to rescue the fallen?”
Silent nods.
“If the gods will it,” said Harvey. “We will come.”
I could work with that.
“So,” I said to them, “they’re held captive in a castle. Here’s what we’re going to do…”
18
We crept out as night was falling. Some of the warlocks, Nikolas said, were open to working against the arch-demon behind his back to keep one another alive and stop him from killing any others. None had seen Zadok, and a prickle of unease rose within me when I remembered sensing his presence on Pandemonium—but like the guild, I couldn’t afford to think too hard about him now. I had my plan, and it couldn’t fail.
Of course, Rachel said I was bonkers and Fiona wasn’t far behind. Fiona stayed at Nikolas’s house to assist with accommodating the fallen. Rachel offered to drive, but I put my foot down and ordered her to keep her demon form thoroughly under wraps during our mission, at least in front of the celestials. Their hideout was too far for them to walk to the castle if we crossed over into Babylon there, so I used the bus I’d once driven a bunch of vampires into hiding with, and ferried the group of celestials to a place where I’d hidden some demonglass out of sight of prying eyes.
Then I took the rogues through the demonglass in groups, supervised by Rachel and Nikolas. The latter stayed long enough to check they actually had entered Babylon, and had split into groups scattered at strategic distances from the castle. The actual site of the ritual was left in doubt, but I’d bet that missing demonglass was at the centre. After all, it absorbed magic, and he hadn’t just destroyed Zadok’s tower out of vindictiveness. He needed it for his own purposes.
Using my ability to find the demonglass would land me right at Casthus’s mercy, so I’d need to be sneakier to get ahead of him before he started the ritual. Once the celestials were distributed throughout the castle’s surroundings, I transported myself back to the upper corridor with the pillars.
So far, so good. The castle was quiet, but a faint aura of dread pulsed through the place, drawing my celestial mark to attention. I hoped Casthus couldn’t sense me in the same way, but if he could, the other celestials’ presence would doubtless distract him. I ran to the window and peered outside. My mark ought to zero in on the demonglass, but realistically, it wouldn’t be inside the castle. He wouldn’t want to open the path in the middle of his own home. He’d have put it outside somewhere.
Sure enough, I looked out the window and spotted a faint glimmering on the ground below. It looked too dim to be demonglass, but nothing else shone like that. I squinted closer. Oh Divinities. That’s not good.
Shadowy magic pulsed through the demonglass, and a line of fallen stood before it as though waiting for orders. There was no sign of Casthus, but his presence lay heavily over them. Maybe he was keeping a safe distance… or maybe he’d sensed the intruders.
It’s now or never.
I used the glass to transport myself to the plains, where Nikolas waited with a group of celestials. Some were visibly shivering. This realm was much colder than they’d be used to, considering it was July back home.
“Do it,” I told him. “Signals. Now.”
Harvey raised his hand, which blazed with celestial light. In one bound, Nikolas took to the sky, wings spread wide. He seemed confident he could keep himself hidden, so I had to trust him.
I transported myself to the corridor directly above the fallen again. Then I opened my palm, scattering a little demonglass directly out of the window.
I’d shaved the glass down to powder so fine, it looked like mist. This part required more trial and error than I’d like, but no reaction came from below, so I assumed the arch-demon hadn’t sensed or spotted me. I held my breath, scattering more demonglass, ready to leap in as soon as the signal went off.
A series of celestial lights went off like beacons in the gloom. Even at a distance, there was no other source of light on this realm save for the moon. Blazing lights ignited the sky, and in the distance, the celestials grew closer, their lights combining to appear as though a formidable army advanced on the castle.
