“Contact the Navy. Use a bird, a flashing light, send someone for a swim, but get their attention. We need an artillery barrage right here.” The General pointed at the map. The gap in the hills directly in front of his position was the only way the Demons could come.

  “If they manage it, we’ve got a chance. Demon Bats can be killed. But we have to survive to do so. Figure it out.”

  Di Maria nodded and slipped out of the vehicle his guards in tow.

  “Can we defeat them, General?” Lieutenant Pachino asked.

  “We can die trying. It took more troops and firepower than what we have here to do it in the last war, and this is just a small Horde. The one in 1945 was tens of thousands strong,” General Spataro explained.

  Outside the vehicle, hundreds of militia and engineers were crawling into hastily dug slit trenches armed with everything they could find.

  “Sir, you should see this!” The communication tech pointed to the feed coming from cameras mounted atop the command vehicle.

  Turning, General Spataro peered at the monitor. A mini-horde was cresting over the top of both hills led by a thirty-foot Demon with curved horns and a giant flaming sword. The huge creature marched down the highway, kicking civilian cars and trucks like they were stones. “Direct all fire at the big one. If we can take him down, the others may retreat.”

  The explosions of tank fire could be heard as Ariete tanks began unloading their 120mm shells toward the tallest Demon. The mechanized brigade attached to the General’s command only had six of the sixty-ton behemoths, but all were firing at the beasts.

  “It’s all or nothing now. Send the orders, Pachino. Fire everything we’ve got,” the General commanded.

  Hundreds of Imps and Cambion Demons poured down into the defensive positions. Many troops found themselves fighting hand to hand against an enemy that could take massive amounts of damage and not fall down.

  “Heart and heads, boys! Heart and heads!” Officers and noncoms yelled at the men.

  Watching all of this from the relative safety of the Dardo IFV, General Spataro was shamed for the first time in his life. Nodding to himself he stood up. Bowing his head to walk, he took a step to the side and climbed into the vehicle’s turret controls.

  “Sir! Don’t risk yourself. The army needs you,” Pachino tried to get the older man to reconsider.

  “No. The Army needs firepower. Either arm yourself or strap in, Lieutenant, because we’re going to war.” General Spataro activated the speaker. “Take us up the hill and into the fray, Corporal.”

  Engaging the engine, the man at the controls did as he was told. The Dardo was only equipped with a 25mm cannon, but it could take down the smaller Demons. General Spataro wanted to try his hand at firing the four anti-tank rockets at the big Demon.

  <<<>>>

  “Blinking light on the cliff, sir!”

  Captain Meti peered up through the windscreen of his patrol craft at the small light. “What’s the message?”

  “Map coordinates, sir. The army’s about to be overrun.” The seaman peered up at the light as he scribbled on a waterproof pad.

  “Anything else?” The Captain asked.

  “It repeats. I don’t think so, sir,” he handed over the pad.

  “Send it on to the Admiral. There is nothing we can do here. Any sign of more Demon Bats?” Captain Meti and his crew had been under constant assault for several hours as the flying nightmares swooped in, pounding the ship relentlessly.

  Naval units are inventive, and the Admiral didn’t allow a lack of comms to slow him down. Old school signal lights and semaphore flags were dragged out of storage and put to work. The local patrol and anti-smuggling craft were stationed around the edges of the island to relay communications to and from the fleet. So far, very little had been heard from the land side. There were all sorts of rumors about refugees and Demon attacks, but no one knew what to believe.

  The Admiral of the fleet took the communication sheet and checked the map. “How sure are we of this?”

  “Captain Meti is one of our best men, sir. He believes the communique to be genuine,” the commander of the patrol boats replied.

  “Order all frigates and destroyers, if able, to open fire on this location. Contact the Admiralty. We need the latest satellite pictures. If we have to sail closer, we need to know the sea conditions,” the Admiral remarked.

  What he wouldn’t give for just one of the Andrea Doria Battleships right about now. Forty-six cannons that could fire almost fifteen miles would be helpful at this point in the battle. The original ship was lost to Demons in 1945, but the Duilio was scrapped barely ten years after the end of the war. Too big, too expensive, and too many bad memories were the reasons given. If they’d known then about this… The Admiral shook his head. Something his daughter like to say was fitting. “If wishes were fishes, we’d all swim.”

  Chapter 8

  Once upon a time, the church in the monastery was dedicated to the Holy Virgin but no longer. The scarred double wooden doors gave way to a sacrilege. A fountain that once held blessed holy water ran red with blood. The Strega weren’t Satanic, they were worse. They worshiped the oldest dark Gods and Demons. Every deity has an opposite. Dark deities are balanced by light deities. Each has an avatar, Jesus and Satan, Odin and Loki, Zeus and Hades, Osiris and Set. It is the eternal balance.

  Strega Witches had taken the darker imagery and twisted it even further to meet their own needs.

  Blood red eyes stared down at the team as they entered the church. Gore spattered skulls replaced statues of the Saints. Demonic ichor dripped from every sharp object and edged surface in the room. Church pews were smashed, excrement lay in piles.

  “What kind of church is this place?” Victoria asked as she took in the destruction with a comprehensive glance.

  Xavier pulled a flashlight from his kit and shown it upward. “Not a Christian one.”

  Gigantic murals decorated the ceiling. Unlike those found in most Catholic churches, these depicted Demons and humans in poses not seen outside of charnel houses. Incubi lay with all manner of creatures and committed despicable acts in full color.

  Looking up, the female Mage flinched a couple of times as her eyes were almost trapped by the images. “Oh. Don’t look at it. There’s a spell in place. You would stand there until your body gave out.” She muttered a few unheard words and flicked her hands upward. Bright orange flashes of light flared, and the room seemed to tremble. Somewhere in the depths of the church, something screamed in agony.

  TJ turned toward the scream and took a step forward.

  Quickly, Victoria grabbed him, “Don’t. It’s another trap. I would advise you to not touch anything.”

  Watching the group from the back while covering the rear guard position, Hamilton smiled. This was going it be so much fun.

  “Where do you think the portal is?” Robert asked as he scanned every corner of the room with a thermal sight.

  “Check the whole place. We’ll stage from the center of the room. Victoria, can you cast light?” Xavier asked. Each team member dropped their packs in a circle. Taking a knee, he opened up the larger ones and laid out ammunition and other supplies. If this were to be the temporary fall back position, they would need ammo. His pack alone was filled with unique shotgun shells.

  Bowing her head, Victoria closed her eyes and said a single word. A ball of almost white light came into existence in front of the group. Everyone except the Mage blinked several times to alleviate the shock. Waving her hand, she caused the light to rise and hover over the group’s commander. “How about that?”

  “Perfect. Robert, you take TJ and check out that section.” Xavier pointed to the right. “Use your thermals and night vision. Some Demons can hide in plain sight. Victoria and I will check out the opposite end. Be careful and pull back to this point if attacked. Hamilton?”

  Stepping out of the shadows the Mage called out, “Here boss.”

  Xavier turned his head to stare at him. “Watch our backs. Can you ward the outside door?”

  “Of course.” Hamilton looked at Victoria and waved his hands. The already prepared spell triggered and the door flashed red for a split second. A big smile graced his face.

  Commenting almost under her breath, Victoria remarked, “Show off.”

  Hamilton tipped an imaginary hat to her.

  Xavier watched his two mages and shook his head. He was surrounded by children. “Come on, we need to find that portal.”

  Saving her Magick, Victoria used a small flashlight to probe the corners of the church. Small alcoves that should have held saints contained monstrous statues of Gods and Devils. “How long do you think?”

  Xavier averted his eyes from yet another garish mural. “How long for what?”

  “Since this was a church,” Victoria replied.

  “It still is one. Just not a denomination most living beings would admire. Religion is a funny thing. Not everyone can agree to what is or is not sacred. We might not agree with all this, but if they weren’t killing people and raising Demons, they might have been peaceful.” Xavier stepped carefully over chunks of marble and wood as he spoke, his eyes constantly darting from side to side.

  “You’re a very special person,” Victoria replied sarcastically.

  “To be a team commander in ARCANE, you have to be flexible. Not everything is shooting monsters and saving townspeople. You should keep that in mind for the future. You would be a good leader one day, Vic.” Xavier told her.

  “Now I know you’ve been smoking something…” She stopped walking. Raising her hands out in front of her, she waved at the wall. “I’ve got something here.”

  The back wall of the church made a grinding noise as it slid to one side. An ancient set of stairs sloped downward into the darkness.

  “Unless you’ve found something, I need everyone to converge on our location. Hamilton? Will your ward hold without you watching it?” Xavier asked.

  There was a flash of green and Hamilton stepped into the light at the center of the room. “It will hold. What have you found?”

  “Stairs. Time to go underground,” Xavier explained.

  Robert and TJ finished scanning their section of the church and picked their way back to the center. Hamilton still stood there. His head was down as he muttered phrases in a language he called Galactic.

  “Hamilton? You OK there?” Robert approached the muttering Mage.

  TJ grabbed his twin swords, but he didn’t draw them. Looking from side to side, he moved toward Hamilton.

  The black-clad Mage opened his eyes and looked left into Robert’s eyes. “I’m fine. To stay on the path, a Jeedai must reaffirm his commitment to the ideal. Shall we go?”

  Xavier looked at Victoria, then back toward the center of the room. Hamilton’s facade was slipping. With so little known about the man, he worried that the slightest encounter would make the Mage explode and kill everyone. ARCANE wanted humans fighting monsters. To achieve that, they sometimes allowed people inside who weren’t all there. “Is everything OK over there?”

  “Yes, sir. We are en route now,” Robert replied. TJ and Hamilton were walking abreast of each other toward the commander. Silently, Robert slipped behind them, keeping one eye on the Mage.

  “Understood. Grab my pack as you go by it, please.” Xavier sighed and made a mental note to update Hamilton’s file, again. Command was aware of his psychological profile, but he had such mad skills that they ignored it for the most part. One of Robert’s more unsavory jobs was team member elimination. If they changed sides, he would cut them down. Every team had its own assassin.

  The stairs were old. Much, much older than the chapel they were situated it. Carvings covered the walls as the group descended. The stairs had a worn path in them from thousands and thousands of footsteps.

  Xavier ran his hand along the carved walls. Much of it was worn down or chipped away, but there were a few recognizable scenes from the Mithraic legends. The bull, the lion, and the birth of a God were still identifiable. He whispered into the mic, “The carvings indicate this was a temple of Mithra. Expect a cave or series of caves ahead. The cult originated in Rome and spread across the empire of the time. It was very popular among the legions and those with martial skills. Who knows what the Strega have done with it over time. Be ready for anything.”

  “We have movement ahead.” TJ squatted down with a pistol gripped in each hand.

  Victoria touched her forehead and murmured a short prayer. A faint white glow began to emit from the Mage, extending a short distance from her skin. She nodded as if in conversation with someone, before looking up at Xavier. “Ready.”

  Three steps down and the stairs ended in a small room with three hallways leading away from it. The one directly in front of them was where the movement was visible.

  “Stick together. This may be the portal ahead. Protect Victoria at all costs. Only she can close the portal,” Xavier ordered.

  The hallway was lined with desiccated corpses. They looked to be mercenaries or some form of fighter. Each corpse held their weapons in the last spasm of their moment of death.

  “They died hard and from behind,” Robert observed. “They knew their attackers.”

  “We have Demons,” Hamilton commented as he cast a spell without warning.

  The cave complex in front of them lit up suddenly as Hamilton’s spell created a massive flash of light like a shaped ball of lightning. In the stark blue-tinged flare, Demonic shapes could be seen dancing and rotating around a central altar.

  “What the hell, Hamilton?” Xavier exclaimed.

  The Demons, startled, broke from their ritual, saw the humans, and attacked!

  Quickly the team broke in different directions and went into action. Robert began firing into the crowd with his Beretta. The armor-piercing rounds penetrated the thick hides of the creatures, causing massive amounts of damage internally. For every one he put down, another three took their place.

  TJ instantly dove into the fray. He first fired both pistols, emptying them quickly into the oncoming Demons. Like Robert had discovered, he found that just shooting them was a losing proposition. They just kept coming. Dropping his 1911s, he drew the twin butterfly swords at his hips and began chopping. Demon blood flew left and right as his blades clove arms, legs, heads, and tentacles.

  At the same time, Xavier was blasting away with his Saiga shotgun. Each drum held twenty shells. Strapped across his vest was a modified magazine holder. Eight-round magazines, as well as specially modified twelve-round ones, were secured there. The twenty-gauge shells were blowing fist-sized holes in the oncoming Imps, sending sprays of ichor everywhere.

  Standing at the center of the group was Victoria. She glowed with power as she took the energy provided by her team and converted it. Building the spell that could close an interdimensional gate took more power than most human Mages could channel at once.

  “Hamilton, we need you up front,” Xavier yelled as a Cambion Demon slipped past Robert and narrowly missed with its claws. Fire, fire, fire, change magazines, the mantra ran through Xavier's head. He needed the Mage to take the pressure off so he could reload.

  Hamilton was troubled. The balance was wrong here somehow. With the presence of Demonic forces, the team was at a horrible disadvantage. Just killing the Demons wouldn’t swing the balance in the other direction fully. Something needed to happen on the side of good as well. Those thoughts and others plagued him. Survival of an idea was more important. Tossing fireballs, he immolated the few Demons that approached his position. Hearing the commander’s voice, he looked past Victoria. Literal waves of Demons were charging the team. He muttered a curse and pulled out a black crystal wand from his utility belt. His hands moved in a complicated design activating the spell. Then with his gladius in one hand and his custom Magickal handgun in the other, Hamilton joined the fray.

  “Concentrate your fire and start moving. We need to reach the altar in the center to close it. Wound as much as kill. Slowing them down is a priority.” Xavier stepped closer to Victoria as the female Mage began taking one slow step after another.

  Click, click, click. Robert tossed the Beretta automatic into the face of a Demon and pulled his pistols. Firing at the closest Demons, he tried to open some room around him.

  “TJ, come back to us. You’re drifting away.” Victoria’s voice in his ear woke the martial artist from the berzerker haze he was in. The butterfly swords in his hand were on autopilot hacking and slashing at will. Coming to himself he could see that his personal battle had taken him more than twenty feet from the group and into the path of the larger Cambion Demons.

  Hamilton glowed black to the eye. His shield was the perfect antithesis to Victoria’s light. When his Magickal strength faltered, he switched to sword and gun to recharge. Before learning the Jeedai way, he’d worked his way across Russia as a mercenary and guard. Close hand-to-hand combat was something he had practiced for years.

  His blades were in the style of the earliest of Roman swords, the hispaniensis or Hispanic blade. Heavier and longer than later blades, its leaf pattern sliced cleanly through any and all Demons.

  Victoria took more steps forward. Every inch of ground was littered with the dead. Layer upon layer upon layer of bones covered the floor of the cave. She didn’t have either the will or the time to look, but she could sense that many of the skeletons were unwilling victims. Their spiritual screams echoed through the ages. The hole in reality that many called a portal was situated next to a stone altar. Victoria wasn’t close enough to see all the details, but there was a Magickal circle erected to contain whatever came out of it. Somehow it failed.

  Xavier scanned the battlefield. The waves of Imps were giving way to the larger Cambions as well as some larger troll-like Demons. “Robert! Start targeting the bigger ones. If they engage in mass, we’re screwed!”

 

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