From Hell with Love (53 page)

When he set his front legs back to the ground, Plague launched himself up the steps joining the Famine Quarter to the palace, Mercy at his side as they rushed forward.  Niccolo and Cadmus shared only one look, nodding before turning back to the burning palace.  Cadmus held his scythe at the ready and Niccolo already had an arrow nocked against his bow string.

And so the Horsemen rode, desperate to save the Devil.

***

When they reached the top of the stairs, they were almost taken out by a terror streaking past them, making both Plague and Mercy balk.  Confused by what they had just seen, it took the Horsemen a moment to realize that a centaur wearing spiked armor had galloped past them with a silver lance, two men speared through the middle getting carried in front of him.

“Holy shit, is that Buer?” Niccolo asked, causing the terrifying creature to turn its head toward them, his lance buried into the wall in front of him.

“Niccolo?  Cadmus!” a familiar, if somewhat more intimidating, voice rang out from the metal skull on the creature’s head, bright red horsehair sprouting from the top and twirling in the air.  “Where have you been?”

“We were sent to get Moloch!” Niccolo shouted, jumping down from Plague and letting the horse dissolve into green mist.  Both he and Mercy would be useless inside the palace.

“Oh no,” Buer said unintentionally before getting distracted by the closest foot-soldier on his lance, who was trying to push the weapon out of his chest.  Buer just drove the lance in deeper, causing the demon to slump over, and then turned back to them.  “Where is he?”

“He’s taking care of Cimeries!  We were attacked by Viné, Balam and his men and she was wounded,” Cadmus said, letting Mercy crumble into the ether and falling to the ground, walking toward the centaur.

“Damn it all,” Buer said before reclaiming his weapon from the wall and swinging it around, sending the corpses of the impaled demons sprawling along the ground.  “Get inside, I have the courtyard.”  At that statement, the Horsemen looked around and found there were far more demons fighting it out, forcing steel against steel and letting blood fall all around them.

“Has Astaroth arrived?” Cadmus asked, which was met with a hearty laugh from the centaur.

“See for yourself.  Over the entrance of the War Quarter,” Buer said, pointing toward the sky.  The Horsemen turned just in time to see a bright, white flare coming from hundreds of yards in the air, followed by a column of white energy bursting from the source.  When the column met the ground, the Horsemen had to steady themselves as the eruption shook the entire grounds of the palace.  As soon as it happened it was gone, causing the humans to breathe for a moment before looking at the Horseman. 

“Astaroth is the one fallen you never need to worry about.  Now go!  Remember your vision, Cadmus!” he shouted, pointing his hand toward the entrance to the castle.

“Are you sure?  ” Niccolo asked, drawing a tired laugh from the centaur, who straightened his back and somehow became more intimidating.

“I’m rusty, Nico, but I’ve survived my share of wars.  Leave me to these newborns!” he commanded before rearing back and letting out a war cry.  When he landed, he used his powerful legs to leap into the fray, sending bodies flying every which way.  The Horsemen only watched for a moment before reclaiming their senses and running toward the entrance of the palace.

As they were running, Niccolo remembered how Cimeries had used her pike in order to open the massive iron doors and decided he could try doing just the same.  Niccolo pulled back the string of his black bow, concentrating on the strike, and then released the tension.  A green arrow flew toward the door on the right, but Niccolo could not have expected the outcome.  Instead of opening, the force was too much for the door and the entire slab flew backward, breaking out of its mooring and sliding through the entrance hallway.  It was enough for the Horsemen to look at each other in amazement.

“How the hell did you do that?” Cadmus asked in alarm before turning back to the entrance.  Niccolo turned with him, unable to comprehend his newfound strength.

“I…I don’t know,” he confessed, grabbing another arrow from his quiver and leaping past the small set of stairs, bounding past the threshold into the palace. 

He had no time to be confused. 

They looked to the left hallway and found Phenex with his back turned, holding a group of demons behind a wall of flame and advancing it toward them.  Then, when they heard the screams coming from the right and turned, they noticed a blur of shadows and blood spraying against the walls.  It only took them a second to realize that Marchosias was in his bloodlust, turning from one adversary to the next.  Instead of marveling at the demons’ efficiency, Cadmus tapped Niccolo’s shoulder and led them to the Reception Hall, hoping they could find someone who could tell them where Lucifer was making his stand.

When they arrived, the stench of newly-made corpses forced the Horsemen to cover their mouths and noses; otherwise they would have gagged on the smell.  There was so much detail to take in, so many demons lying in pools of organs and blood, but what was most alarming was the crowd of demons in the center, all focused on the solitary threat to their lives.

“Is that…” Niccolo started, dropping his hand to his side and almost releasing his weapon, instinct being the only thing that kept him from doing so, and just gaped at the horror in front of him.  Cadmus joined him, but at least he was able to finish his friend’s thought.

“The Leviathan…” Cadmus muttered, staring at the creature able to take on thirty demons at once.  In the middle of battle, the Leviathan cared nothing for appearance and had let his twisted and horrific body stand exposed.  A massive, round belly with odd protrusions hung ten feet in the air, suspended by eight, long gangly limbs like a spider.  Pain-ridden faces moaned beneath the skin of its torso and limbs, but even that was not as terrible as the creature’s face.

The giant gold mask with the blue cross was a kindness, as when it split open vertically, countless, four-inch long fangs lined each side, three long tongues with three malformed fingers, lined with barbs, whipped about and wrapped around its prey.  Cadmus and Niccolo were just in time for a display of violence, as the Leviathan wrapped two of its tongues around one of Beleth’s armored guards and then used the third to tear off the man’s helmet, letting him scream before attaching to his face and ripping off the flesh before withdrawing into its throat. 

Then the creature used its tongues to throw the screaming demon into the air in front of it and then slammed its mouth closed around his midsection, causing the demon’s legs and lower torso to fall to the ground with a wet thump.  After the man’s screams stopped, the creature seemed to swallow before another face appeared on its back, squeezing in between the ones already present.  The creature then calmly turned and seemed to stare at Niccolo before its blue eyes flared.

“Nico!” it screamed with twin voices, turning its body to face him.  “How pleasant for you to show up!”

“Uh…hi,” Niccolo said under his breath, causing the creature to tilt its mask to the side, the demons all around him still attacking him to no effect.

“Isn’t this
wonderful
?  We did not expect a meal.  You should have your fill, Horseman,” the Leviathan said before turning its attention back to the demons at his feet, his terrible mask opening once more and blood spraying as it roared with twin voices.

“Now you know why we’re afraid of him,” came a weak statement from their left.  The Horsemen turned to find Zagan next to another disgusting corpse that looked vaguely amphibian.  When they came nearer, they found the horned giant was holding a bloody hand to his midsection.

“Wha…what happened?” Niccolo asked, determined to forget the grisly display occurring just a hundred yards away.  Zagan chuckled softly before nodding to the green corpse lying nearby.  As they looked at the creature, which was adorned with a number of black horns sticking out of its back, Niccolo was able to see that its neck was torn open and its eyes gouged out.

“Bael, that bastard.  Here I was thinking he was my brother, but then he throws a dozen of his fucking horns into my gut,” he said, wincing as he shifted his back up against the wall.  “I’m telling you guys, never trust family.”

“Bael did this?” Cadmus asked, not expecting anything but a sarcastic reply.  He did not wait for it and instead continued.  “What’s the situation?  Where is everybody?”

“Too…goddamn serious, reaper.  But that’s alright.  Last I heard, Purson, Furcas and Lucifer were in the throne room.  Amdusias and Asmodeus are fighting Beleth down at the Overlook.  Paimon…” he said before grimacing in pain, his face becoming a little paler.  “Paimon’s somewhere, I don’t know.”

“Last we saw, she was with Lucifer and Azazel,” Niccolo said, trying to ignore the screams coming from the other end of the hall.  Zagan shrugged, which he instantly regretted because of the pain, and then shook his head.

“They split early on, once the fighting started in earnest.  Paimon and Azazel went off to the entrance of the Pestilence Quarter, trying to find…something…  God, this hurts,” he said, closing his eyes for a moment before looking back at the two humans in front of him.  “Well, fuck, get a move on, you dirty bastards!  Lucifer’s been waiting for you!”

“Right,” Niccolo said before looking toward the throne room, past the feasting Leviathan.  “You just going to stay there crying, Zagan?”

“Hah, only letting that slide because I like you,” Zagan muttered, drawing the attention of the Horsemen before grabbing his wine bottle and emptying it out over his midsection, causing the giant to arch his back in a pain-induced spasm.  When he settled back against the wall, he sighed deeply.  “Bael’s little horns are poisonous.  I’m not going to be able to move my legs for at least a day.”

“Then how did you kill Bael?” Cadmus asked, which brought a weary laugh from the demon king.  He then pointed at his horns, which they just realized were covered in blood.

“Threw him off me and then slammed my head in his throat.  Figured it’d be worth it,” he said before nodding at the throne room.  “Now, go!  Save my big brother!”

The Horsemen did not need any more hints and started sprinting toward the throne room.  As they came closer to the Leviathan, the hostile demons noticed their approach and turned to face them.  Niccolo was about to shoot another arrow, Cadmus about to sweep his blade, when the pair of demons were grabbed by grey, six-fingered hands.  They looked up to see the Leviathan with eyes burning in joy.

“Good luck, Horsemen!” it said with a light tone before throwing both of his hands holding the soldiers down his throat, causing Niccolo’s jaw to slack in horror.  He only regained himself once Cadmus smacked him on the shoulder, causing him to double his speed toward the doors to the throne room and easily running past the reaper who was now falling behind.  Covering the last amount of distance in three bounds, Niccolo wrapped his fingers around the handle and breathed out deeply.

He pulled and braced himself for what he might see.

***

“LUCIFER!” a shout came from the entrance to the throne room.  Lucifer turned around from discussing the battle plan with Furcas and Purson, the giant snake’s hood flaring out as it recognized the threat, to find Belial rushing forward, his dark wings already clouding the air on the far side of the throne room.  In his right hand was a short sword with tendrils of dark energy that trailed behind him and in his left hand was a dark buckler.  The Devil sneered at his brother, his ever-shifting throne behind him and his dark bodyguard to his right, and turned to face Belial with his divine weapons.

“So this is how it has to be?  The morning against the evening?  Lux against Nyx?” he asked, the light from his buckler filling the throne room.  He stepped forward to engage his opposite when he heard a shout from behind him.

“Brother!  Behind you!” Purson shouted, allowing Lucifer enough time to quickly turn just as Furcas’ spear tore a gash along his side and back.  The Devil brought down Lux, slamming the African knight’s spear against the ground, but Furcas quickly pulled back on the handle so he could thrust a second time.

“
You
, Furcas?  Why?” Lucifer snarled, forgetting his brother momentarily as the Hell Knight poked at his defenses once more, which the angel parried easily with his buckler.

“This was your future as soon as you chose the bitch over me,” Furcas said in a low voice, swinging his spear to the right before swiping it at Lucifer’s feet, which the fallen angel merely hopped over.  “When you chose, I chose another.”

“Looks like I was right, then,” Lucifer said, about to parry Furcas’ next swipe before Purson slithered forward and lunged at the Hell Knight’s back, causing Furcas to duck toward Lucifer’s throne.  Knowing that Purson should be able to handle the warrior, Lucifer turned to face his other sibling, who was merely waiting in the middle of the throne room.

“You’re bleeding,
Scratch,
” Belial said with a flourish of his dark blade, mocking his counterpart.  Lucifer frowned at the dark angel, merely advancing forward as he let his wings stretch out of his back.

“You don’t get to use that name, Belial.  Only the people I love get to do that,” Lucifer said as he approached his corpse-like brother, both of them starting to circle around each other once they were within a few yards.

“Oh, you don’t
love
me anymore, brother?” Belial asked with a heavy dose of venom.  Lucifer tilted his neck, cracking his spine, before shaking his head.

“You might as well drop the family act, too.  Those who betray me are not worthy of it,” he muttered, causing Belial to scream out the next words, darkness pouring out of his empty eye sockets.

“
THOSE WHO BETRAY YOU?  You
betrayed us first, Lucifer!” Belial shouted, his black wings stretching to their full magnificence.  “
You
led us to rot in Hell!  You never should have lived past that first dark night!”

“Is that what this is about, Belial?” Lucifer shouted, bringing his shield to bear and his sword into a ready position.  He looked over his brother’s shoulder to see Purson and Furcas exchanging blows, although the snake seemed to be worse for wear; Lucifer would have to finish this quickly.  The Devil looked back into his brother’s dark eyes and narrowed his eyes to slits.  “Just because I failed during the war?”