Middle Demons (Angels and Demons Book 2) (6 page)

CHAPTER 11

“We can’t move in and kill them. He steals your soul if you get too close.”

“And that’s what you want to tell Agrat? She’ll kill us all.”

“I don’t think we should be expected to kill Leech the angel slayer. If the angels couldn’t do it…”

Leech grinned. Apparently his made up title had spread as far as Vixen’s army. When they first surrounded the two of them, Leech had killed several of them simply by using his parasitic touch at its new extended range. He used the added strength to shoot any demons with long-range weapons. Archers, snipers, and any other demons that looked like they could be a threat from outside the range of his parasitic touch were swiftly killed off by Leech. Lilith killed several demons on her own before the two of them were surrounded.

One of the minor demons stepped forward with a commanding presence.

“Don’t come any closer, Lord Leech. Agrat is on her way down and I will not allow you to…”

Leech took a step towards the demon which put him in range of his new ability. He had his life force drained within seconds and he shot a bullet right between the eyes of the demon on his left.

“None of you are in any position to make any threats or demands of me. You’re done attacking the two of us and all of you will sit down and shut the hell up until Agrat gets here.”

Demons looked at one another, wondering if he was serious.

“Sit the fuck down. Now.”

They all did as he commanded. Lilith looked like she really enjoyed the entire exchange and the power emanating from Leech but she wasn’t the one who spoke next.

“Just because you’re dating a bitch doesn’t mean you can treat my army like dogs.”

Agrat didn’t carry any weapons except for a few daggers on her belt but it looked like she wasn’t intending to use them. Her nails were sharpened into claws and she seemed to enjoy clicking them together while walking in a circle around Leech and Lilith. While he tried really hard to hate this demoness and focus his anger, he couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by her beauty. Lilith walked in front of him and was about ready to slap him. He was able to focus on her and shake himself back to sanity just in time to catch her hand.

“No worries, babe. You’re prettier. I’m going to kill her now if that’s alright with you.”

“No. She’s mine.”

“Shadow told me what happened when the two of you fought Abigor. I know the titles and rankings are stupid but she’s simply too powerful for you. I’ll kill her and you can thank me later.”

“But…”

“But nothing. Shut the hell up and stay out of my way.”

Lilith slapped him but then smiled mischievously.

“I’m still deciding whether I like Leech the powerful. I like all of the other versions of Leech but this one needs to watch his mouth.”

Leech was finally able to calm down and remember who he was talking to.

“I know you want to kill her but you have to see what I’m saying.”

“I do. Do you want me to sit down like everyone else?”

Leech knew it was a trick question and that he was being tested. He had no idea how to answer properly.

“Um… if you want to.”

“Good answer.”

Leech pulled the minotaur axe from his back. General Baal had cursed it during their last meeting and it glowed with a darker power than Leech was used to. He enjoyed knowing that he had the tools to kill almost anyone in Hell apart from the six who ruled the underworld and the Dragon.

“So the bitch won’t even fight her own battles then?”

“Says the girl who sent her army to kill us without coming here herself until most of her army was dead.”

Agrat laughed.

“That’s cute. You think I’m a hypocrite. Well I think you’re a lover… not a fighter.”

“Why is it that everyone in your department uses the same tired trick over and over? I’m not into you, there’s no chance of me being into you, and you’re wasting your energy and my time. Now take your best shot so I can kill you.”

“It’s not a tired trick if it works.”

Agrat moved in close to Leech, grabbed his right hand in both of hers, and started biting his ear. When he was almost ready to give in, he thought of Lilith and then realized that Agrat had walked right into the range of his parasitic touch.

“Ow! What the hell was that?”

“It was me proving to you that your trick doesn’t work on me. Mine seems to work just fine on you though.”

Leech attempted to use his parasitic touch again but nothing happened.

“You caught me slightly off guard, but your parasitic touch won’t work on me anymore. I moved in close so I could add your power to the list of things my ring protects me from.”

Agrat held up a ring very similar to the power-countering ring Leech had seen Shadow use as a minor demon.

“I’m just as happy to kill you with my axe if that’s how you want to play this.”

Leech charged and swung his axe in a wide arc. Agrat deflected the blow and countered by slashing his arm with her claw-like fingernails. After he stumbled a few more steps, Leech checked his arm. The cuts were deep; they had made it through his armor and left five long, bloody gashes.

“Care to try again, angel slayer?”

Leech pulled out one of his guns and took careful aim. The bullet whizzed through the air and Leech could feel a small portion of himself go with it. One of Agrat’s minions tossed her a shield and she blocked the incoming shot.

“You can take as many shots as you want. I’m pretty good at blocking and I hear that it drains you for ammunition.”

Leech didn’t like being humiliated in front of Agrat’s army but it was even worse being slowly defeated in front of his own. He put the gun back on his belt and charged again. Agrat blocked his axe swing again but he was able to aim one of his guns while still on his belt and fire. His bullet only caught Agrat in the foot but he got immense pleasure from watching her hop around on one leg while clutching her foot and screeching like a wounded animal.

While Leech laughed at her hopping around, she put her foot down and acclimated herself to the pain. Then she grinned back at him.

“You should be feeling it in a few seconds.”

Leech had no idea what she was talking about but her army was grinning at him like they knew exactly what she meant. Then it hit him. His back started stinging worse than his arm. As he reached a hand back to check the extent of his injury, he realized that she had slashed him with both claws. He attacked her one more time, full of rage. Agrat sidestepped the blow, grabbed his axe from his hands and tripped him so he fell to the rocky floor of Hell. Agrat moved in slowly, holding Leech’s axe in both hands and treasuring the knowledge that he would be in pain for his final moments.

“You know we could have worked something out. You had a chance to be with someone much better than my bastard sister. After all, you’re a cutie. After what you tried to do though, it’s time for you to die, angel slayer.”

Agrat slowly lifted Leech’s axe over her head and looked down at him. Leech flipped her off and she laughed.

“Goodbye, Leech.”

As she started to bring the axe down, Leech shot her through the throat. She thought Leech was too weak to shoot anyone after the damage she had done to him. Then she saw Lilith lying on the ground, within range of Leech’s parasitic touch. The last thing she realized was how she was killed. Leech stole some of Lilith’s life force and used it to shoot her. Victory had been stolen from her by her illegitimate sister.

“Gangrene!”

“Lord Leech?”

“Kill them all. Only spare those that will forsake Vixen and Agrat and swear an oath of allegiance to me.”

CHAPTER 12

“Any ideas yet, Azazel?”

“Nope. Give me time. It’ll take something ridiculously brilliant to fool the great, old lizard that lives at the bottom of Hell.”

Azazel looked over at Muan and noticed that he was still frowning. He hadn’t said a word since Shadow broke him out of the ice.

“What’s with your little tribal warrior buddy? Are you still mad at Shadow, little guy?”

Without turning to look at him, Muan placed a dart in his blowgun, put the blowgun in the side of his mouth, and shot a dart at Azazel.

“Ow! Do you have any idea who I am?”

Muan still didn’t look at him, but he finally decided to speak.

“You’re Azazel, the asshole that the angels cast out. Now I guess you’re some kind of asshole demon with a poisonous dart in his leg.”

“Shadow, your pet furball is pissing me off.”

“Leave him alone, Azazel. He has a right to be angry.”

Azazel opened his mouth to retaliate but realized neither one of them much cared what he had to say. As he had no desire to kill either of them just yet, he remained silent. Nessus the centaur approached them as they made their way back towards the river Phlegethon.

“There are three of you now.”

“Hello again, Nessus. The army that pursued me is fallen. We need to go further in so I can receive my appointment as major demon of the department of murder. Where can we cross the river?”

“You bring war to the circle of Hell that deals with violence. I guess it has its place here, but you nearly interrupted us in our duty to keep the violent suffering in the river. So I’m still deciding whether I should kill the three of you.”

Azazel snickered and went to remove the sword from his belt. Shadow caught his arm and shook his head.

“We apologize. What can we do to make you rule in our favor?”

“A long time ago, a poet was guided through these circles. I led him across the river. He taught me about riddles and I must admit I really enjoy them.”

“So you’ve become a sphinx then, Nessus?”

“Nope. I’m still a centaur. You asked what you could do… well… you could answer my three riddles. If you can answer them correctly, I will guide you across. If you can’t, Azazel joins the tormented souls in the river.”

Azazel looked taken aback. He realized that several centaurs had their bows trained on him, ready to pierce him with arrows.

“Yes, we know who you are, fallen angel. If any violent creature deserves to be tormented in the river Phlegethon, it’s you. Do we have a deal, Shadow?”

“We have a deal, Nessus. Let’s hear them.”

Nessus grinned and waved his hand for his centaurs to lower their bows.

“If I drink, I die. If I am fed, I thrive. What am I?”

Shadow looked at Azazel. He shrugged. When he looked at Muan, Muan turned his back to him.

“Muan, do you have any idea?”

“Oh,
now
you need my help?”

“Yes. Now I need your help. I understand that you’re angry, but I wasn’t going to let them kill you so you could keep your pride intact. I need you to get over it.”

“If you’re so powerful then you can answer your own damn riddle.”

“Oh gotcha. You don’t know the answer. That’s all I needed to hear. So…”

Muan finally turned around.

“I know the answer. I just refuse to help you because you refused to let me help you earlier.”

“Muan, I understand that you wanted to help then. I’m sure you want to help now. It’s alright. You’re not Leech. I usually defer to him for book worm stuff like this so it’s no big deal if you don’t…”

Muan turned to Nessus.

“The answer is fire. If you pour water on it, it dies. If you feed the flames, it thrives.”

Nessus nodded.

“The little demon is correct.”

Shadow grinned over at Muan. Muan couldn’t help but look proud of himself but he turned his back to Shadow and Azazel once again to hide it.

Nessus continued.

“I have a head but I never weep. I have a bed but I never sleep. I have a mouth but I never talk. I run but I never walk. What am I?”

Muan continued to look away from Azazel and Shadow. Shadow guessed he probably couldn’t trick Muan into answering the riddle this time even if he knew the answer. Azazel was muttering about combining the scythes again so Shadow figured he was on his own. Shadow realized Azazel didn’t really care because if the centaurs attacked him, he could kill them. He couldn’t let that happen because they were stuck on this side of the river without the guidance of Nessus. As Shadow looked at the centaurs guarding the Phlegethon, he found the answer.

“The answer is a river.”

“You are correct, Shadow. Just one more. I am the part of the bird that’s not in the sky. I can swim in the ocean and always stay dry. I flee from the light but owe a debt to the sun. For without the sun’s rays, I would be undone. What am I?”

Muan continued to say nothing but Shadow saw him raise his hands to grip his bone daggers. He was ready to fight if it came to it and he clearly didn’t know the answer. Azazel pulled the sword from his belt.

“If I kill them, can you find us another way across?”

“Wait, Azazel. Give me some time to think about it.”

Nessus signaled for his centaurs to ready their weapons.

“Your fallen angel threatens us. I don’t appreciate that. Give us your answer, Shadow.”

Centaurs began to surround Azazel, clearly ready to strike the moment the signal was given. Shadow continued to think but Azazel finally looked like he realized something they had missed.

“Shadow.”

“What?”

“No. A shadow. It’s the answer to his riddle.”

Shadow thought about Nessus’s riddle and realized that Azazel was right. He was mildly embarrassed that he hadn’t thought of the answer himself. Nessus looked like he wasn’t very happy with the outcome. He had obviously wanted to toss Azazel into the river.

“The outcast is correct. I will guide the three of you across.”

The centaurs made an opening in their circle to allow Azazel to leave but they followed close behind. Nessus led them along the banks of the river of boiling blood until they reached a small span of the river that was only ankle deep. He pointed across the river.

“This is where I led the poet and his guide when they crossed the river of violence. As more and more sinners are delivered here, I fear it will one day become impassable. Cross here and ignore the tormented souls in the river. If you interfere with out sworn duty to punish them, we will kill you.”

Shadow nodded at Nessus and the three of them stepped into the boiling river of blood.