Samantha Moon Phantasm, page 96
part #9 of Vampire for Hire Series
“The devil dog,” I said, nodding.
“Indeed, Sam. But there are more. And most are powerful beyond reason, fast beyond comprehension. Their claws drip poison, and once unleashed, they kill quickly, violently, and will consume the body completely.”
“These aren’t your Sunday school demons,” I said.
“No. But the good news is: the sword can dispatch them all. Every last one of them. That is, of course, if you get through tonight.”
“Of course,” I said.
“Now, will you accept the sword, Sam?”
I opened my mouth, closed it again. The room was empty and beautiful and lighted from a source I could not see. Then again, the light just might be coming from Azrael himself, who still shone brightly. He held the sword before him in both hands, one around the handle, and the other just under the flat blade. The sword itself seemed more useful than beautiful. Not too many accessories and attributes. The hand guard was rounded and wide, protecting the hand as it should. The blade itself was pitch black and would have been considered a broadsword, with two edges and serrated near the handle. The only accoutrement was a blood-red gemstone at the pommel. The whole thing seemed longer than I would have been comfortable with.
“And if I take this sword...” I began.
“The moment you touch it, you are bound to it forever, Sam.”
“Can I have my own cool secret pouch?”
He gave me a small smile. “Yes, Sam.”
“I won’t cut myself in, say, the shower?”
“Doubtful.”
I considered his words, all of them, knowing that my life was about to forever change. Or end within the next few hours. I said, “I would, in essence, be working for you, then.”
“In essence. But think of us more as a team.”
“Would I be, you know, an angel, too?”
He shook his head. “You will always be what you are,” he said.
“A better-than-average bowler?”
“A vampire, Samantha.”
I thought about that. He probably didn’t know about the diamond medallion. No, I didn’t always have to be a vampire. I had options, limited as they were. Like he said, he wasn’t omniscient, and he couldn’t read my mind. He probably didn’t know about the medallion.
Either way, I held out my hands, and said, “It’s a deal.”
Azrael nodded that beautiful head of his, stepped forward, and placed the sword in my hands. And as my fingers curled around the hilt and blade, I could scarcely believe that I had gone my whole life without it. I felt complete, whole, perfect. I wanted to cry, but I didn’t. But then, I did, a little.
“Now, are you ready to learn the ways of the sword?”
“I’ve never been more ready in my life.”
Chapter Eighteen
Much later, I made the leap from one world and into the next.
I aimed for the big, empty space in Kingsley’s office, trusting that even he wasn’t working this late. I felt bad, having left the bulk of guard duties to my friends, but I felt confident they—and the eight Lichtenstein monsters—could handle themselves. If anything, Kingsley’s manor was overly fortified.
Never enough, I thought, especially in light of what I’d learned these past few... hours? I sure hoped it was hours and not days, although I suspected time slowed down in Azrael’s palace, although I couldn’t be sure.
The good news: there was nobody inside Kingsley’s study, and it was laid out just as I remembered, with its big open space between his desk, bar and conference table. Kingsley’s home office was nearly a mirror image of his work office, complete with his obsession with moons.
I waited for the stronger-than-normal dizziness to pass, all while tuning in to my own inner alarm. No ping, nothing. Good... wait. There it was... an ever-so-faint blip, just inside my ear. Danger wasn’t here. But it was coming.
First things first. I checked on my daughter, cracking open her door, and saw that she was sound asleep. Good. Very, very good. Next thing, I checked on Anthony—but he wasn’t in his room. I checked the time on my cell, and noted that AT&T claimed I was still in roaming mode. Boy, had I been roaming! It was nearly midnight.
These kids were going to be the death of me.
From downstairs, I heard a familiar guffaw, and the thump-thump on the floor that always followed it. Good, Anthony was downstairs. Now, I heard Kingsley’s voice, followed by Allison’s. At the far end of the hall, a Lichtenstein monster appeared, bowed slightly, and disappeared into one of the rooms. One arm was distinctly longer than the other. Strange house.
I was about to head down to see the gang—and really looking forward to sinking into Kingsley’s arms and trying to forget that I had just spent some time with not one angel, but two angels—when I heard a door open behind me.
“Mommy?”
I turned and saw my teenage daughter’s head poking through the door. “I thought you were asleep, baby.”
“I had a bad dream,” she said, sounding a lot younger than her years.
“I’m sorry, sweetie,” I said, coming to her and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She was ice cold. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“I dreamed about the devil.”
“I’m sorry—”
“Except...”
“Yes?”
Her voice lowered, deepened. “Except it was no dream.”
I pulled away, keeping her at arms’ length, and studied her face. In particular, her eyes. She was smiling—bigger than normal—and now bleeding from where she had bitten her lip. Most disturbing, though, were the twin flames burning in her eyes.
***
By the time I pulled her into her room and shut the door, the twin flames were gone, and so was the creepy smile. Her voice had returned to normal, too.
I spent the next few moments comforting her as she wept hard, telling me over and over that she was sorry, that she was weak, that he had come to her in her sleep, that he had found a way into the little room of her mind, that she wasn’t strong enough, that he had scratched and clawed and broken into the little room in her mind.
I told her it wasn’t her fault, that she was going to be okay, and as I spoke, her lips twisted back in what looked like pain, baring her teeth. She shook her head, crying out. And then, she stopped shaking, turned her face toward mine, and opened her eyes. The fire was there in each pupil. Not quite as bright as I had seen it in others. But it was there.
“Hello, Samantha Moon,” said my daughter, except it wasn’t my daughter, of course.
I wanted to freak out. I wanted to call out to Allison and Kingsley. Or call up a local priest. But I knew this was part of the game. As fucking terrible as this was, I knew this was what had to happen. Azrael had warned me about it. It was the dance before the fight. I had to play along, or the devil would do all he could to ruin us, and probably ruin us quickly too.
“Hello, you piece of shit.”
My daughter threw back her head and her piercing laughter was something terrible to hear. “You are a feisty little bitch, aren’t you?”
“You are about to see how feisty I am.”
“Really now?”
“Yes.”
And here it was, although it came faster than I’d expected. To engage the devil, Azrael had said, I had to threaten him. I had to release the devil from the bonds that kept him in check. To kill the devil, I had to free the devil, terrible as that sounded.
“Why, Samantha Moon, is that a threat?”
I looked down at my pale hands, which seemed to glow in the light. I was speaking to the devil through my daughter, and I could never, ever imagine a more horrible situation in all my life. But it was forced on me by the bastard himself. I clenched my hands into fists. So tiny, I thought, compared to what I was up against.
“You bet your ass, it’s a threat,” I said.
“Well, now. That changes everything, doesn’t it?”
“I imagine it does.”
“Tell me, Samantha Moon. Do you really think you can kill the devil?”
“No, not really,” I said. “But I’m going to die trying.”
My daughter threw back her head and laughed—sharp and loud. “You understand what you have done, Samantha Moon?”
“I do.”
“Then, let the games begin.”
At the same time, the fire winked out of her eyes, my inner alarm raged through my head. I dove for my daughter, shielding her with my body, as something blasted through the window—and through the far wall. Something dark and fast. It could have been a missile. But it hadn’t been.
No, it had been a demon.
***
“A demon unleashed is a terrible thing, Sam.”
“What do you mean by unleashed?”
“Given permission to attack.”
“And they receive permission from the devil?”
Azrael nodded. “Despite popular belief, demons are not fallen angels. Demons are true devil spawn.”
“He’s a Creator, too,” I said.
“He’s an architect of the rarest kind. Not only does he create an endless variety of personal hells, he populates them with demons and other nasties. Many of which you will meet tonight.”
“Oh, joy.”
“No, Sam. There will be no joy tonight. There will be suffering of the highest order.”
***
I threw open the door, shouldering away some of the wood that came tumbling down. Grunting, I held the doorway open as Tammy ducked under me and out into the hallway.
Wind thundered through the opening, and I turned back, looking up into the sky through the broken window and the damaged wood around it—and saw black shapes high above, circling against the stars and half-moon. I could have been a deep sea diver looking up at the silhouettes of great white sharks. Except these shapes sported massive wings—and were as black as night. One by one, they peeled off and shot down.
“Go!” I shouted to Tammy. “Downstairs! Hurry!”
***
“It was made with the devil’s agreement.”
I blinked, staring at the glowing sword. “The one sword that could kill the devil was made with his agreement?”
“It was. In fact, he helped forge it.”
“But why?” I asked.
“Even he saw the desirability of exiting his life, Sam. The problem being, of course—”
I felt like I knew the answer to this one and jumped in: “He can’t be killed.”
“Indeed, Sam. There was no known way to end his life. But he knew, and helped forge this sword. I suspect he regrets doing so.”
I marveled again at it in my hand. The blade glowed ever so slightly. I could feel the heat coming off it. “Dare I ask what it’s made out of?”
“The finest metals, Sam. But it is not the composition of the sword that can end the devil’s life.”
“Then what?”
“It is the intent behind it. The agreement of it. The devil understands few humans or mortals could find the sword. Indeed, it was given to me to safeguard, to be given only to one who is—”
“Worthy?” I jumped in.
Azrael smiled. “Determined enough to find me.”
“Fine,” I said. “Whatever. I’ve got this,” I said, holding up the sword. “Can it kill his demons too?”
“It can end all of his creations, Sam.”
“Good to know.”
“Now, shall we practice?”
“With you?” I asked.
“No, Sam. I am not a fighter. There is another. A great warrior in his own right. I believe you’ve heard of him?”
***
An explosion shook the house.
My knees buckled as I ran, and I knew another demon had burst through the walls like a kamikaze fighter pilot—minus the plane, and minus the suicidal intent—but using its body to smash through the house.
Holding Tammy’s hand, we had just reached the top of the stairs when Kingsley appeared at the mountain of debris. “Sam! Are you all right?”
I nodded, picked up my daughter and threw her over a shoulder. She barely protested when I leaped over the banister and plummeted twenty feet to the polished floor of the wide-open foyer below. I landed on my feet as vampires are wont to do.
“What’s happening, Sam?” shouted Kingsley, ducking, as something exploded above us. It sounded as if the roof had been torn free.
Now, a black shape burst through the square glass above Kingsley’s front double doors—and obliterated most of the door too. I was not very surprised to see the three-headed devil dog, Cerberus, its heads all snapping and growling. The fire in their eyes blazed, black smoke billowed from their nostrils.
Kingsley turned to me. “Take everyone down below, to my cell. They’ll be safe there. Go!”
And with that, my boyfriend of many years contorted his head and dropped to all fours—and burst from his sweats and tank top. I pulled my daughter away before she got a look at Kingsley’s own full moon. I took her hand, running and ducking as furious growls erupted seemingly everywhere at once.
I had barely reached the hallway when Franklin appeared, looking ferocious and pissed. He spied the activity behind us, nodded at me once, then dashed forward. Behind him dashed nearly all the other Lichtenstein monsters. I turned back to see monsters, a giant wolf and a three-headed hellhound in a battle to end all battles. I watched one of the heads pick up one of the Lichtenstein monsters, and cleanly bite him in two.
I pulled Tammy along and reached the family room. There were Allison and Anthony. She had her hands around his shoulders. To my amazement, my son didn’t look frightened.
“Sam! What’s happening?” asked Allison.
“Demons,” said Tammy. “And the devil isn’t far behind.”
I wanted to vomit. “Allison, take the kids downstairs—”
“No way, Mom. I’m helping,” said Anthony, tearing himself free from Allison’s grasp. His speed was uncanny, and he ran past me before I could even scream his name, which I did.
I turned and ran after him, but stopped when my son plunged through the hallway and out into Kingsley’s open foyer with the vaulted ceiling, because something flashed bright enough to stop me in my tracks, nearly as blinding as Azrael himself. When I blinked, my son was gone, and something massive—and fiery—was in his place.
“He’ll be okay, Mom,” said Tammy, tugging on my shoulder. “Hell, I almost feel sorry for the dog.”
She was right, of course. I had to believe he would be okay—at least for the next few minutes. Something flashed in the hallway, and I caught sight of a blazing sword. It was followed by a terrible screech and I was certain my son had just mortally wounded the devil dog.
I turned to Allison. “Take Tammy downstairs, and stay there.” I noted one of the Lichtenstein monsters holding open the door to the cell. Kingsley must have told him to watch over us as well.
“What about you, Sam?” asked Allison.
“I’m going to help out up here.”
“I can help, too!” she said, and her eyes darted over my face. She was scanning my thoughts. No doubt she picked up on what I’d experienced with Azrael—and what I had to do. “Trust me, you are going to need me.”
“Okay,” I said. I turned to Tammy. “Go with him, young lady. And stay down there until I come for you. You got that?”
She nodded, and I was relieved to see her eyes were fire-free. She ran to the cellar door, located in a nook just off the kitchen, and headed down with the Lichtenstein monster, who closed the door behind them. She should be safe. At least, for the next few minutes.
I had just turned back to Allison, determined to check on my son, when something black and massive exploded through the kitchen window.
Chapter Nineteen
A flash of light from above, and I watched as another angel descended, his own beautiful wings outstretched, shining, if possible, even brighter than Azrael, whom he landed next to. I watched in amazement as his own wings folded in on themselves and disappeared into, no doubt, another glowing tattoo.
The angel before me was just as beautiful as Azrael and Ishmael. And, dare I say, even more so?
“Let me introduce you to the Archangel Michael,” said Azrael. “Our best warrior.”
Michael nodded, and some of his beautiful brown locks fell forward as well. Before me stood two of the most gorgeous creatures in creation, and I was not hating my life; at least, not in this moment.
“Hello, Samantha Moon. Shall we begin?” he asked.
And begin we did. Michael brandished his own glowing sword, and proceeded to put me through the steps of fighting. He taught me basic maneuvers and slightly more advanced ones. Turned out, I was a bit of a natural, even if the sword was awkwardly large for me.
Although the devil and his spawn didn’t have flesh-and-blood hearts, I was to strike where their hearts would be, in the chest. As we practiced, and as Azrael watched, I would learn that the devil was a Creator in his own right. He and his creations existed mostly in a parallel place created by the devil himself, a world that was overlaid on top of this one. I would learn that the devil and his minions could wink in and out of existence, moving between worlds. I would learn that demons, once let loose, could strike with real physical force—and would kill with reckless abandon. I would learn the demons would be weaponless, although their long claws were weapon enough.
Archangel Michael, whose movements were perfect and pure and fast, would put me through my paces, and soon, we were moving together in a choreographed fight, my movements nearly as smooth as his, although not quite. Lucky for me, I was a fast learner.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth hid in the shadows, even while my own soul rejoiced. This was, I suspected, the closest to heaven I would ever get again.
***
Glass and wood, and even a flying bar stool or two, exploded around me. Oh, and one nasty demon, too.
I had just dodged a tile from Kingsley’s kitchen counter, when three long black spikes followed just behind them. Spikes that were attached to a black arm, itself appearing out of a long black sleeve. I dove to the side, but not fast enough; its claws dug deep, burning grooves into my back. I cried out, tumbling, as a flash of light appeared somewhere behind me. I had a brief glimpse of the demon itself hurtling back through the opening from which it had come.
