Middle Demons (Angels and Demons Book 2) (14 page)

CHAPTER 27

“So you actually did it, Azazel?”

Azazel showed Shadow the dual-bladed scythe, with a blade on each end facing opposite directions.

“Now that I’ve actually created it, I’m almost tempted to keep it. This is the finest weapon I’ve ever sculpted and that’s saying something. I call her Damnation.”

Azazel held the weapon with one finger in its middle to show Shadow that it was perfectly balanced.

“And here’s the kicker.”

Azazel tossed Damnation to Shadow and he caught it with his right hand. The second the weapon arrived in his grasp, the second scythe blade disappeared. Azazel ran his hand along the curved horns protruding from his skull and grinned.

“Pretty badass, huh? That outta fool the old hell lizard.”

Shadow spun Damnation and then attached it to his back.

“Well… Thanks Azazel. I didn’t expect you to actually come through with something like this.”

“Just keep in mind that you owe me a favor. Pulling one over on the Dragon is fun, but I’d also like to have a major demon owe me one.”

“Understood. Now is there any way that you could…”

Azazel put a hand on the shoulder of both Muan and Shadow and they vanished in a puff of red smoke. When they appeared back in Hell, they stood in front of the giant Antaeus. Azazel didn’t say anything in parting; he simply vanished in another wave of red smoke. Shadow approached the giant.

“Antaeus, I am Lord Shadow, the middle demon of war. I demand that you lower us into the ninth circle.”

Antaeus rolled back his head and laughed.

“You don’t command me, puny demon. If you want my help, you’ll have to defeat me in battle.”

He gestured to a pile of skulls resting near him.

“Many have tried but few have succeeded.”

Shadow looked at Muan and swung Damnation like a baseball bat. Muan nodded that he understood. Without warning, Shadow rushed Antaeus and swung Damnation in an upward arc, the blade sparking briefly against the ground before it connected with Antaeus’s groin. The giant sailed into the air, flailing his arms and yelling.

Muan transformed into a grizzly bear and caught the giant before he had a chance to hit the ground. He tightened his grip around the giant’s chest and held him there so Shadow could speak to the squirming giant.

“I did a little reading. I have a couple of demon friends that have taught me the value of knowing my history. It was Hercules that killed you and sent you here. As the son of Gaia, you can’t be defeated while you remain in contact with the ground, so Hercules lifted you into the air in a bear hug and crushed you to death. It must be frustrating to be in the exact same position you died in.”

Muan tightened his grip and a sickening crunching noise echoed off the walls of Hell.

“Stop! Put me down!”

“Will you lower us into the ninth circle?”

Antaeus looked around. All he could see was the other giants bound in chains and his pile of skulls. The bear demon had a firm grip that locked both of his arms at his sides and he saw no way to defeat the demons.

“Fine! Put me down and I will help you!”

Muan looked at Shadow for confirmation. Shadow nodded. The second Antaeus’s feet touched the ground, he healed from the dark bruise Muan had left across his chest. Shadow pointed Damnation at the giant.

“Remember your promise. The next time we have to get you off the ground, it will be to crush you and then chop you into pieces.”

Antaeus gestured to a large metal box attached to a chain. Shadow and Muan got in and the giant, true to his word, lowered them down into the ninth circle. Muan changed back into a demon and grinned up at Shadow.

“You read a book!”

“Oh shut up, Muan.”

“See how useful it was to us in that fight?”

“You’re still a nerd and so is Leech.”

“But we’re nerds who win… because we know things.”

“Care to test your theory? I’d take on the two of you at the same time just to prove you wrong.”

“No reason to get all touchy, Lord Shadow. I’m just glad I don’t have to carry us anymore.”

Shadow raised an eyebrow at Muan and he quickly clarified his statement.

“…Intellectually, I mean.”

Shadow closed his eyes and pressed two fingers in between them.

“Why are all of the demons I recruit so fucking annoying?”

“Good question.”

The metal box shook as it connected with the icy floor of the ninth circle. Muan changed back into a wolf to better endure the cold. Shadow found that the armor of Michael the Archangel adequately kept him warm, even in the frozen ninth circle of Hell.

Shadow and Muan started their way across the frozen lake, Cocytus. As they journeyed towards the lake’s center, they saw souls buried in progressive degrees in the ice of the lake. They begged and pleaded for the demons to release them, but Shadow and Muan ignored them, occasionally stepping on their heads.

As they approached the Dragon, Shadow made the second blade of Damnation invisible. Muan, in wolf form, bowed his head and his front paws. Shadow simply bowed his head. The Dragon was just as he had been described to the demons when they were young. He had three heads, one red, one yellow, and one black. In each mouth, the soul of a human traitor was tortured. Shadow recognized Brutus, Cassius, and Judas. The Dragon’s front claws also ripped into two demons that lay passed out on the ground. Before he bowed his head, Shadow recognized his father, Abaddon, and the Medic.

Shadow realized something else that it seemed had evaded the attention of the Dragon and everyone else in Hell. Abaddon’s hands were touching the floor of Hell. The son of Michael the Archangel had finally gained control over ice and
that
was why the ninth circle was a frozen wasteland. Shadow couldn’t help but laugh. Even while the Dragon tortured him, his father had found a way to bind the Dragon in a prison of ice. The center mouth of the Dragon spoke to them, while continuing to chew on Judas.

“I’ve been expecting you, Shadow… and who is your companion? Is that Iktomi, the trickster?”

Muan changed back into a demon.

“No, my king. My name is Muan, the son of Bifrons.”

Muan stole a glance at his comatose father and tried hard to suppress his anger.

“Ah, so the sons of traitors stand before me. What do you want?”

Shadow raised his head so that he could address the Dragon face to face.

“I have come here to claim my place as the major demon of murder, head of the department of murder. I wield my uncle’s scythe and I am the rightful heir to his legacy.”

“Lucian has told me that you wield two scythes. Where is the other?”

Shadow raised Damnation into the air.

“Lucian has lied to you, my king. I wield the scythe of Cain but I cast the scythe of Asmodeus into the River Styx.”

The Dragon blew torrents of fire from all three of his mouths, igniting the human traitors. He shook and tried to free himself, but the icy prison that crept up to his waist remained unbroken. Muan hid behind Shadow, shaken by the display of power.

“We shall see if you speak the truth or if you lie like your father, Shadow.”

The Dragon removed his claws from Abaddon and Bifrons and raised both claws into the air. He muttered several curses under his breath. Damnation flew through the air and into the Dragon’s left claw. Five other scythes came flying through the air and distributed themselves evenly in the Dragon’s claws.

“I count six. It appears Lucian has lied to me, as you have stated. You only carry the scythe of Cain. I will not, however, simply grant your request. Another middle demon made it here before you and claimed the throne of Cain.”

“Tell me his name and I will kill him.”

The Dragon rolled back his three heads and laughed. The foundations of Hell shook.

CHAPTER 28

Leviathan’s shallow breaths hurriedly left his open mouth as Tannin and Belial entered his tent. They looked at each other and then back at Leviathan. They knew what they had to do. The time had come for one of them to rise to the rank of major demon. Tannin tried to remove the scythe from Leviathan’s hand, but he held on to it with all of his remaining strength. Tannin looked over at Belial, who waved his staff and pointed it at Leviathan’s arm. His arm began to shake and his grip on the scythe loosened.

Tannin was able to pry Leviathan’s scythe loose from his hand. He gripped it in both of his hands, brought it high in the air, and paused a moment. Leviathan looked at Tannin.

“Why?”

“This is the department of jealousy. We want what you have.”

With that, Tannin brought down the scythe and split Leviathan’s head right down the middle. Once Leviathan forced his last breath, the scythe hovered through the air and rested above Belial’s outstretched hands.

“I don’t think so, Belial. We’ll divide his artifacts in half but you’ll have to fight me for the scythe. Drop it on the ground.”

The scythe continued to hover in the air. Tannin’s hands gripped his daggers and he waited for a reason to use them.

“For first pick of Leviathan’s artifacts, I will do as you ask.”

Tannin nodded and Belial let the scythe fall to the ground. Leviathan’s armor, once the ever-bleeding armor of Cain, floated piece by piece into the air and attached itself to Belial’s shrouded form.

“I’ll take his armor as my first trophy. What’s your first pick?”

Tannin grinned and then kicked over Leviathan’s throne. A onyx shield rested on the ground. Tannin picked it up and attached it to his arm.

“The shield is called Dragonscale. It is exactly what it sounds like, a scale from the back of Satan. An impenetrable shield against all swords and sorcery. Leviathan almost never used it.”

Belial frowned.

“I want that.”

“Too bad. You chose his armor.”

“I didn’t know he had that.”

Tannin shrugged.

“Sucks to be you?”

“Actually, it doesn’t. I could just kill you right now and take it from you.”

Belial once again pointed his staff at Leviathan’s scythe and it flew through the air into his open hand. He moved in quickly with the vanishing mists around him barely able to keep the speed. As he raised the scythe over his head to strike down Tannin, Tannin brought Dragonscale up to meet the scythe. The collision of scythe and shield sent both demons flying backwards, winded but otherwise uninjured.

“Belial, you dumbass. What part of impenetrable do you not understand?”

“An object that protects against major demon scythes shouldn’t exist.”

“And yet… it does. Would you like to cry about it or would you like to try to win it from me in a duel? We’ll step outside Leviathan’s tent, announce to our armies that General Leviathan is dead, and let them watch as we determine who should take his place.”

Belial became pensive and looked to be weighing his options.

“You forget, Tannin, that I was here with my entire army before you. I still haven’t heard your army arrive.”

As if arriving on cue, Murmur entered Leviathan’s tent and bowed.

“Your army has arrived, Lord Tannin. We await your command.”

“Wait with them outside, Murmur. Something interesting is about to happen. Belial is trying to decide whether he wants to die in this tent or outside.”

Murmur nodded and left. Belial chuckled.

“There’s the classic overconfidence I’ve had to listen to over the centuries. I will enjoy taking Dragonscale from your cold, dead hands. Step outside and I’ll end your life quickly. I prefer to have your army watch me destroy you.”

Tannin exited Leviathan’s tent and saw Murmur waiting right outside with his arms crossed in front of his chest. Tannin frowned at him.

“I told you to go wait with the army.”

“I wanted to be here in case Belial chose to die in the tent. It would have been fun to watch. Besides, Jess and Aim are with the army. We’re good.”

“You have too much trust in those two.”

“It’s no more trust than you have in me, Lord Tannin. When I tell them to get something done, they get it done. They’re a lot stronger than they were when you sent them with me to Earth.”

Their conversation was interrupted as Belial exited Leviathan’s tent.

“I’ll break the news to my army and you break the news to yours. We’ll meet back here in front of Leviathan’s tent to fight for control of the department.”

“Agreed. Hurry back, Belial, and don’t scratch my scythe.”

Belial laughed as he walked away. Tannin turned back to Murmur.

“If I lose, I want you to lead my armies in an attack on Belial’s forces. I don’t want that asshole running this department.”

Murmur raised one eyebrow at Tannin’s unexpected command.

“You’re putting a plan in place in case you
lose
? Who the hell are you?”

“Right. The overconfidence thing. Belial does have a small chance of winning though. Just be ready, just in case. Keep Aim and Jess close. We can’t have Belial killing you right after the duel if he somehow manages to kill me.”

Murmur looked around to make sure that no one else was looking before he removed the small, glowing white stone from his pocket and handed it to Tannin. Tannin looked it over with a confused, but interested expression.

“Shadow gave it to me a long time ago. It might help you since I haven’t ever seen Belial actually reveal himself and take a solid form. Figure out a way to touch him with it and it should force him to appear.”

Tannin looked uncomfortable with the gift but he pocketed the small stone.

“You know, this kind of confirms the rumors that Shadow’s family is somehow tied to the angels. Doesn’t that bother you?”

“He assured me that he isn’t. He’s a lot of things but I don’t think he’s a liar or a traitor.”

Tannin nodded slowly, not exactly confirming whether he agreed or was simply acknowledging Murmur’s opinion.

“When I win this battle, you will replace me as middle demon of coveting. Stay alive, Murmur. I’m serious. Keep Jess and Aim close to you.”

Murmur put his hand on Tannin’s shoulder.

“Kill him quickly, Lord Tannin. Belial is a creepy weirdo.”

“So you’re going to be a middle demon? Way cool. Once you die, will I become the middle demon of coveting? We just need to kill you?”

Aim looked hopefully up at Murmur with the traces of a grin on his face. Jess cut in.

“I wouldn’t help you kill Murmur, you idiot. He’s like a big teddy bear!”

Jess stood on her toes and pinched Murmur’s cheek. Murmur slowly started moving his open hand towards her throat and Jess backed away. Aim laughed.

“I’m hoping the two of you haven’t just been sitting down here thinking of new ways to annoy me. I seriously hope you’ve been training.”

Aim picked up a dirt clump and tossed it in the air. He pulled his crossbow from his back, took aim, and split the clump in half before it had time to fall back to the ground. Jess waved her staff and Aim’s crossbow was pulled from his hands. A hole appeared in the ground and Aim’s crossbow floated into it. Moments later, the crossbow was being buried in dirt. Aim flipped off his sister and went to dig his crossbow out of the ground. While their demonstration seemed to comfort Murmur a little, he still looked uneasy.

“What’s wrong, big guy? You don’t normally look this nervous.”

“Tannin’s worried that we’re going to be in a civil war after his match with Belial. I just wanted to make sure the two of you didn’t have your heads up your asses. You’re ready to fight, right Jess?”

“Of course. We’ll keep you safe, mister middle demon of coveting. Don’t worry so much.”

Jess winked at him and then slugged him in the arm. Aim returned, having finally dug his crossbow out of the ground. Murmur signaled to Tannin’s army to follow him to Leviathan’s tent.