Covenant (13 page)

Seventeen

I had never been particularly afraid of snakes. Soon, I realized that was an ill-fated flaw.
—A
NGELA
M
ATHERS

“Who are you?” Angela said. She hid her shaking hands behind her back.

This demon acted much like Stephanie's, with the same arrogance and the same assured way of walking. Only, there was a stronger aura of power and danger. Worse, his eyes matched the eyes of the iron snake Angela had shattered with the Glaive.

“Let me guess,” Troy said nastily. “You're a snake.”

“How perceptive,” the demon replied. He smiled. “Though only half the truth.”

Troy growled softly. She seemed on the verge of remembering something.

“You were the one speaking through that metal snake on the door?” Angela shouted, unable to hide her anger like she hid her fear. “Then why not kill us and get everything over with?”

“Wrong on both counts.” He arched an eyebrow at Angela. “I'm on your side, Archon. That should be clear considering I haven't tried to murder any of you. Yet . . .”

“Liar,” Troy hissed. “Then tell us your name, snake.”

He regarded her with amusement. “You haven't told me yours.”

Troy curled her lethal fingers into fists. “It isn't our truthfulness that is being questioned.”

The demon looked at each of them in turn, thinking. At last, a smaller smile tugged at his mouth and he said, eyes burning, “My name is Python.”

Troy's rage was frightful. She arched her wings high and beat them with thundering emphasis. Dirt and pebbles scattered away from her in all directions. “
You
.
I should have known. Murderer and snake. Half-bred spawn of snakes
.”

“All true,” Python said to her menacingly. “The Third Great Demon of Hell apparently had a snake for a father and has a whore for a mother. So sorry.”

“A snake for a father?” Nina whispered.

“Yes,” Troy said, never taking her eyes off Python. “His father was the feathered serpent Leviathan. His mother is Lilith. The Jinn know him only too well. This is the demon responsible for the fall of the Jinn city that is my namesake. Murderer and liar,” she said, a deadly hiss escaping her again. “I should kill you right now, where you stand.”

Juno dared a little hiss from behind Troy.

“That would be fitting for the High Assassin of the Jinn,” Python remarked coolly. “Unfortunately, without me none of you will ever escape this maze.”

“This is really a labyrinth?” Angela echoed back in anger.

“Oh, yes,” he said. “The demon who owns it would very much like to see you dead. Or worse, to suffer. He is so very bored lately. More dangerous than usual. So he has decided to work with Lucifel toward her insane dreams. Mind you”—Python's voice became softer—“I don't exactly share them. If anything, I would like to see her caged for an eternity longer. But only you, Archon, will make certain of that. Also, I wish to thank you.”

Angela flexed her left hand. Cold shivers ran up her arms.

She couldn't just trust a demon. But did she even have a choice? If this really was a labyrinth . . . they might never get out otherwise. No wonder the iron snake said Angela wouldn't win this game if she didn't give in to his demands.

Python nodded at Troy. “Because of you and this ratty Jinn, my mother's little protégée Naamah is dead. She was such a bitch, that one. I was glad to see her go.”

Naamah had been the name of Stephanie's demon. Just the memory of that name sent ripples of dread through Angela's soul. But the idea that even Naamah had enemies here almost bothered her more.

“Mother loved her more than you?” Troy said sarcastically.

Python's face was colder than ever. “Exactly,” he said. “And there's nothing
I
love more than hearing my mother scream. Whether in grief or rage or fear. It doesn't matter to me as long as I hear that lovely sound.”

“You talk like she deserves it.” Troy snapped. “I would have to agree considering an abomination like you lives.”

“
Enough chitchat,
” Python said with a tangible hiss at the end of his words. His eyes burned brighter and he stared keenly at Troy before walking closer to Angela. He folded his arms, feigning disinterest while the silence grew and swallowed them all. “Archon, unlike your Jinn pet, I don't have the time for theatrics. I would like an answer from you as to whether or not you will accept my help.”

“If I don't?” Angela said. Unable to look at him, she stared at the ground, trying to think and make a decision.

She sensed Python's gaze linger on the Grail hidden beneath her glove.

“If you don't,” he said softly, “as I said before—expect difficulties.”

“Can I have at least a minute to think?” she snapped at him.

“By all means.” He bowed at her and strolled to the other side of the chamber, crossing his arms and leaning against the stone while his attention focused on first one person, then the other.

Angela motioned for everyone to come closer to her. Nina, Fury, and Juno approached, but Troy remained stiff and on guard, never taking her glowing eyes off the demon, refusing to budge a single inch.

Angela turned to Nina first. “What should we do? He has a point. We know nothing about our surroundings. Without him, we could be good as dead soon enough.”

Nina whispered so softly, her voice was like a breath. “I don't like this, Angela. It's all too coincidental, like he knew we entered through that door. And his eyes are way too much like that metal snake's. They're probably the same person.”

“He's not asking for the same conditions,” Angela said. “His entire reason for helping us goes against all of that.”

Juno cocked her head, listening to Fury's bird chatter. “Fury says it's probably a trap.”

Angela regarded the crow as it gazed back at her with intelligent eyes.

“I don't like this either,” Angela said. “But maybe we just don't have a choice. Besides, we have Troy with us. That counts for something, right, Juno?”

“Auntie is a great warrior and hunter,” Juno said, but her expression was unfocused, unsure.

“I vote no,” Nina said.

Juno flapped her little wings. “Me too.”

Angela stepped back, rubbing a hand through her hair. That should have helped, but she didn't feel any closer to a decision.

Nina was probably right when she said not to trust this demon. And it couldn't just be a coincidence that his eyes matched the snake's on the door or that Angela had to fight the snakes Camdon sent after her and Troy. But if this demon's help got them closer to Sophia, and if they stuck together and kept an eye on him, maybe things wouldn't be so bad. They had no clue where to go first anyway.

Angela looked to Python who was examining his nails. He sighed loudly and glanced in her direction. “Well?”

“All right,” she said firmly. “I've decided that we—”

“There will be no decision,” Troy growled. “At least, none besides mine. We will make no deal with you, snake. Do you find us that weak and stupid? Slither back to your mother and weep with her. We will have nothing to do with you—”

“Troy!” Angela shouted, anger boiling over within her. How dare she? Troy was going to defy her directly, even though they were Bound to each other? Even though Angela was the Archon?

“Is that how you really feel?” Python said, looking at Troy with distaste.

Troy flapped her wings and rushed for him with blinding speed.

Python dodged, but Troy raked across his face with her nails.

He staggered back and examined the blood on his hand, wide-eyed. He touched his bleeding cheek, turning to Troy with an expression of respect mixed with deadly hatred.

Angela's insides froze.

“All right,” he said to Troy with the worst kind of hiss. “You've made your choice then.” He looked back to Angela with a smirk, suggesting that this wasn't the first or the last time they would meet. “Have fun wandering around in this rat maze, Archon. Perhaps you'll rethink my offer as you watch your friends get gnawed by Hounds. Those horrors don't run across fresh meat often.”

A thick purplish mist spread around Python's body, and his form became shadowy before vanishing completely.

Troy licked the blood off her nails, refusing to look at Angela.

Hot with anger, Angela strode over to her and grabbed her sinewy arm. “What the hell did you do that for? I didn't give him my answer yet.
My
answer. Not yours.”

Troy snarled and ripped her arm away. “I saved you the trouble of getting us all killed, Archon. If anything—you should be on your knees thanking me.”

“You defied me!” Angela shouted.

Troy stood again, tall and deadly. “It was a trap,” she said, breathing hard. She was clearly holding back the worst of her anger. “Perhaps it wouldn't concern you, Archon, if I or my niece died, but we have much more to live for than to become a snake's dinner.”

Troy started down the tunnel the demon had emerged from.

Angela ran ahead and stood in front of her, blocking her path. “Next time you
will
obey me. You don't have a choice anymore. We're Bound, remember? I subjugated
you
. Not the other way around.”

Troy displayed her fearsome teeth, smiling. She leaned into Angela with lethal fire behind her eyes. “But I don't think you quite understand the rules. I'll also be the one to finally kill you; remember that? And just like with Sariel, we can do that the hard way if you'd like. Continue to piss me off, and I'll go much slower than necessary when the time comes.”

Angela laughed. “You can't kill me. I'm the Archon. You need me.”

“For now,” Troy said archly. “Until the Book is opened. After that . . .”

She stepped around Angela and continued down the tunnel.

Angela slammed her fists against the stone, groaning at the pain that shot through her arms.

Troy wasn't right. That's not the only reason Angela was alive. Raziel kept her alive for much more than opening Sophia.

Didn't he?

Juno approached and glanced at Angela compassionately, but, with Fury perched securely on her shoulder, she swiftly rejoined her aunt.

Nina stopped beside Angela and rested her hand on Angela's shoulder. “Forget about it,” she whispered. “What's done is done. Troy was probably right. Nothing good would have come from that demon, Angela.”

“Nina,” Angela said. “There's more to me than being the Archon, isn't there? I mean, people's destinies aren't just set in stone, never changing. I have other reasons to live besides opening Sophia and helping people. That's a big responsibility, I know. But—there's more for me than just that, right?”

Angela thought of Israfel and Kim. She thought of Raziel mentioning a broken heart that needed to be mended, even though he hadn't mentioned whose. That was her responsibility too.

“Of course,” Nina said, patting her on the shoulder.

She walked ahead to join the others and Angela followed behind, unable to stop the sinking feeling inside of her.

Troy wasn't right this time. There had to be more.

 

They paused again after the tunnel spilled them out into an enormous cave with walls glowing faintly in luminescent blue and green. Misty rapids tumbled over enormous boulders cut through the rocks to their left. Acidic fog filled the air. Angela sniffed at its harshness and paced, itching already to move forward. These breaks drove her crazy.

“Calm down,” Troy said to Juno, though Angela felt the words were directed at her. “We must rest before we continue. The journey will likely be long.”

Troy glanced at the strange glowing cavern, without any sign of its light hurting her eyes.

“I want to keep moving,” Angela whispered.

Troy shook her head and gestured at Juno. “The little one needs rest. She can only move so fast and so far in a day.”

“Then I'll carry her,” Angela said. “Would that help?”

“You will not put a finger on her,” Troy muttered. She yawned and her teeth glinted in the cold light. She looked at Angela again, almost begging her for the challenge.

“Fine,” Angela said.

She took off her overcoat, suddenly warm. She was hungry, too, but didn't dare say a word when Juno was obviously starving. Besides, Troy would find food for them when the need arose.

Thirst was another matter.

Nina settled down for a quick nap, but Angela inched closer to the stream, watching the foam bubbling on top of the water. She reached down to scoop some of the clear liquid with her hands.

Troy wrapped her fingers around Angela's wrist. The Jinn yanked her from the water, tossing her back to the tunnel wall. Angela rolled to her feet, hissing at the pebbles piercing her knees.

“What's wrong with you?” Angela shouted angrily. “I'm just trying to take a drink.”

“If you do,” Troy said, “it will be your last.” She plucked a feather from her wings and held it over the water, then dipped the tip into a calmer part of the rapids.

She pulled it out slowly. What once had been a feather was now a tarry lump.

Troy flung it back into the water. It left a puff of steam before vanishing. “The Styx River flows through Hell, all the way down through the demon city of Babylon and to the Abyss. It is an acidic river that gains strength the deeper one journeys through Hell. This is only one of its minor tributaries. Its acidic fog eats away at our wings over time. It is why the most ancient demons are flightless. If you were to drink from this river, your innards would turn to mush.”

Troy reclined on the stone next to Angela, watching Juno tap at a rock.

“Oh,” Angela said. She sighed. “Well, then thanks . . . for not letting me drink from the stream.”