Torment (35 page)

“I can’t I…”

I didn't let her finish her sentence; instead I slapped her across her face.

“Keira!” Lily gasped.

Marley looked straight at me, confusion on her face.

“Are you with us?” I asked her.

“…Yeah.”

“Good, now
who
is coming?”

“I don't know his name,” she said in a shaken voice. “He had bright-red eyes, he was looking up at the sky at first, then the sun disappeared and then he turned and looked straight at me.”

“Did he say anything?”

“He said something like Orion or…”

“Oroan,” Eligos said, letting go of her.

“Yes, yes, that was it.”

“Where was he?”

“I don't know,” she said, shaking her head.

“Think, Marley,” Lily said softly. “What did you see around him?”

“Erm, I don’t know, erm, I could see a church, a really big one. I’ve seen it before, I know I have.”

“Where, tell me where?” I said.

“Oh, oh, it was the same church I saw in a vision I had of you, Keira; you were fighting some man in a suit.”

“The one on the hill? The same place we fought with Argyle.”

“Figures,” Eligos said. “A long, long time ago Oroan and Argyle were good friends. He must have been pissed when he found out Argyle had been put to death.”

“I’m going after him,” I told them.

“Lucifer knows where he is,” Hecate said, barging into the room.

“Yeah the church where we fought Argyle,” Lily said.

“How did…never mind.”

“I’m going now,” I told them while heading for the door.

“Hey, hey!” Eligos said, grabbing my arm. “Think about it, Keira. He chose somewhere close to where you live. He told Marley who he was. He’s not cast any spell to stop him being traced. Keira, it’s a trap – he wants you to go to him.”

“What choice do I have?”

“Let
me
go.”

“No, no way, not without me.”

“Keira…” he began.

“We can all go…Well, we’ll hide Marley and Beth; they’re not strong enough.”

“I’ll go with you,” Lily and Hecate said at the same time.

“So it’s settled then.”

“I’m coming!” Marley said to me. “I don't care what you say.”

“Marley…”

“I said I’m coming.”

“Fine.”

We walked downstairs and headed for the cars. Hecate updated the guys, including Jake, who had now turned up. Eligos, Unsere and Hecate and I set off first, closely followed by Jake’s and Lucian’s cars carrying the others. When we were a few minutes from the church I turned to look at Eligos; he was going through REM.

“Who are you talking to?” I asked.

“Brad, I’m telling him to be on call. We don't know what's going to meet us,” he said. “He’s trying to contact Carlos.”

“He’s another one of your top guys, isn’t he?”

“Yeah, good memory!” he said.

“Carlos is an idiot,” Hecate snapped. “He should never have been given such a duty.”

“Why?” I asked.

“We’ll tell you another time,” Unsere said.

I pulled up a few hundred yards away from the church. Everyone got out of their cars and walked over to us.

“How do you want to do this?” Jake asked.

“I don't know,” I said, looking around me, scanning the bushes and small groups of trees.

“Eligos?”

“It’s not my call, mate. She’s the boss.”

“OK, I’ve got an idea,” I said, taking a very deep breath. “WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU YOU FU-?

“Keira!” Marley and Tyler shouted.

“Language!” Lily said, shocked.

“Ha ha,” we heard a voice say. “Telling a princess off, you’re a brave girl, Lily.”

We looked around us but we couldn’t see anything. It was so dark – the only light we had was from the headlights of the cars.

“How does he know my name?” Lily whispered.

“And who else do we have? – Eligos, Beth, Jake, Lucian, Tyler, Danny, Hecate – nice to see you, Unsere, Marley, ah yes, my little Marley.”

Tyler put his arm around Marley. Hecate and Unsere moved closer to her, ready to protect her.

“Show yourself, you prick!” Danny demanded.

“As you wish,” the voice said.

A split second later a rather small man was standing a few feet in front of us. He was middle-aged, a few inches shorter than me and actually had a friendly face.

“Why are you doing this, Oroan?” Eligos asked. “Why have you joined them?”

“I haven’t joined anyone, my friend,” he said, walking a few steps closer. “As for this,” he said, looking at the eclipse, “this was just me using my power one last time.”

“I don't understand,” I said.

“Sweet Keira, your mother and Lucifer have been pulling demons in and killing them for weeks. Nobody who has been taken in has walked back out. I went travelling between worlds for a while, using my power and seeing the awe on people’s faces when they watched the skies. Because they didn't know where I was, and because I was alone, they summoned me to the Palace. I know what fate awaits me.”

“Why did you say you would keep this up, that you would hide the sun?” Marley asked in a shaken voice.

“Don’t be frightened of me, Marley; I mean you no harm. I said those things so you would come for me,” Oroan told her. “I knew if I turned up and asked for help you would have doubted me,” he said, turning to face Eligos. “
You
my friend would have done your job and taken me to the Palace, and I respect that. But I wouldn't have come out of there alive. So I thought, if I threaten, if I frightened one of you, all of you, you would come for me and have no choice but to kill me. And I would rather die by your hand, for
actually doing something
, than die by theirs for travelling and not having an alibi.”

“Oroan, my friend, I will not kill you, not when you have done nothing wrong,” Eligos told him.

“Please bring the sun back!” Lily said.

He smiled warmly at her for a moment, then his eyes turned red and the moon slowly started to move away from the sun.

“Thank you,” she said to him.

“Oroan, I will come with you to see Lilith,” Eligos told him. “I will defend you.”

“They will demand you leave.”

“They can demand all they like. I shall not leave.”

“They will kill
you
if you defy them,” he said worriedly.

“No they won’t,” I told him. “If he dies, I die, and Lilith wouldn't want that. I will go with you too.”

“No, I won’t go. I’m sorry but I will do what I have to, to make you kill me. I’ve lived long enough now. I want a decent death, not to be executed, please, my friend,” he said, looking at Eligos again.

I studied Oroan’s face. Although his words sounded sincere, his eyes, now back to normal and visible with the light from the re-appearing sun, looked frightened, frantic. Something was wrong. I looked at his hands, it looked like he was trying to move them but they were being forced to stay by his side.

“Oroan, can you give me a moment with Marley,” I said. “She’s young; I don't want her to see this.”

“Of course.”

I grabbed her arm and dragged her away.

“Keira I can handle…”

“Shhh. Listen,” I whispered. “Get inside his head; there’s something not quite right with this.”

“How do you mean?” she whispered back.

“Just trust me. Get in his head and tell me what he’s thinking.”

“I’ll try.”

“Quickly.”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. A few seconds later she opened them again.

“He keeps saying, ‘Carlos, stop, please stop. Why me, Carlos, stop please,’” she told me quietly.

“I knew it! He’s being controlled, he’s doesn’t want to die.”

“Oh no, who is Carlos?”

“One of Eligos’s top men; there’s him and Brad.”

“What do we do?” she asked me.

“Stay here. It makes it look like you don't want to see him die. Just give me two minutes, OK.”

“OK.”

I walked back over to the others and asked Tyler and Jake to go to Marley.

“OK,” I said, looking at Oroan. “I will do it, if you don't mind it being me.”

“I don't mind. You’re a nice girl, a powerful girl.”

“I just have one question.”

“Go ahead.”

“Why is it that you want Oroan to die…Carlos?”

“What!” Eligos shouted.

“Where are you, you bastard?” I asked.

Oroan dropped to his knees then looked up at me.

“How did you know” he asked.

“Your eyes and Marley got inside your head.”

“Thank you.”

“Where is he?” Eligos asked between gritted teeth.

“I don't know. I just know he’s close,” Oroan told him.

Chapter Forty-Five

Carlos

We looked around for Carlos near the church, but we couldn’t find him anywhere. We took Oroan back to my house and Hecate and Unsere returned to Hell to explain to Lucifer and Lilith what had happened. We all sat together in the living room.

“Why did Carlos want you to die, and if he wanted you dead, why didn't he just let Lucifer kill you?” I asked Oroan.

“Lucifer can detect if a spell is being used on someone if he is close to them. He would have known I was being controlled and Carlos would have been exposed. Which is why
he
wanted me dead. He knew I had found out he was against you all.”

“How did you find out?” Eligos asked.

“I heard him muttering to himself after a conversation with Brandameer a while ago. He held me prisoner and under a demon’s trap for weeks, then made up the story that I’d been travelling alone and all that nonsense. Then he got me to tell you all that.”

“When I find him, I’ll kill him!” I said.

“No you won’t!” Eligos said sternly, standing and walking towards the window, “
He’s
mine.”

“Can you take him?” Beth asked.

“You just watch me.”

Hecate and Unsere appeared next to the fireplace, both with smiles on their faces.

“Oroan, you do not have to go to the Palace,” Hecate said happily.

“What?” he replied in shock.

“We told Lil and Lu what had happened,” Unsere told him.

“Lil and Lu!” I giggled.

“Yeah,” she smirked. “Anyway they said it was a close call, and that we are to find Carlos and take him to them.”

“No!” Eligos said. “You can tell them both, that bastard is mine!”

“Thank you all so much. I’m not ready to not be here just yet,” Oroan smiled. “I owe you all, and when the time comes, I’ll fight by your side.”

“Thank you,” I said. “That means a lot, especially after…” I trailed off.

“It’s a small thank-you,” he smiled again. “And don't worry about what happened to Argyle. We were friends millennia ago. I knew he had a wicked side and decided I didn't want to associate with someone like that. So don't feel guilty or anything on my account. If I’d have known about what he was going to do to you all, I would have gone after him myself. Anyway, if ever there is anything I can do for you, just let me know.”

“I don't suppose you can tell me who is the one starting this.”

“I’m sorry, my dear, not a clue.”

“No, it’s OK. Nobody does.”

I looked over at Eligos just as the window behind him smashed, and watched in horror as an unseen force sucked him outside. Everyone ran over to the windows while I flew out the front door. Eligos was picking himself up off the floor.

“So you think you can take me, do you?” he said, dusting the bits of glass off his top. “Come on then, you bastard, come and try.”

He turned around; his eyes were blazing red. Hecate, Danny, Lily and Jake were now standing just behind me, and I could hear the others coming out. I went to walk over to Eligos, but he raised his hand and an invisible wall stopped me in my tracks.

“This is my fight!” he said, lowering his arm.

I pounded against the wall. If any normal person had seen me they would have thought I was mental, banging my fists against thin air.

“Keira, he’ll be OK,” Hecate assured me.

“You know that for certain, do you?”

“You’ve never seen him fight properly,” Unsere said. “You’ve only seen him torture a creature that was no match for him, and slice a few demons in half.”

“Actually I have. He fought me when that demon played a trick on us.”

“Keira, that was nothing,” Hecate told me.

“I’m going to enjoy this,” Danny said, glaring in Eligos’s direction.

“Show yourself, you pathetic excuse for a demon,” Eligos shouted, looking around him.

A moment later a man started to appear a few feet in front of him. He was taller than Eligos by at least a foot, his red hair was cropped, his face was pale and he wore what looked like black jeans and a black T-shirt. He was the one who was standing on one side of Eligos, while Brad was on the other, the night he brought the army. He stood still with a horrible smirk on his face.

“Eligos, how nice to see you,” he said sarcastically.

“How long?”

“A while.”

“How long?” Eligos repeated. “How long have you been a traitor?”

“Since before you met your little woman over there,” he said, looking at me for a moment. I threw him a look of disgust and he laughed a little before looking at Eligos again. “I must say, it was awfully nice of you to have brought me that night. You know, show me where she lived, what her friends looked like…”

“You make me sick.”

“I’ll tell you something else too. I sent two spirits to shoot her and her friends. Of course, I didn’t know she was Lilith’s daughter back then. Shame really. But still, it scared them, and one of her friends died, even if it was only temporary. I remember the looks on all of their faces; it was fantastic.”

“Bastard!” I shouted, banging my fists against the invisible wall again.

“Well, I hope you enjoyed yourself, because you’ll never get close to her or any of them again,” Eligos told him. “In fact, after tonight, you won’t get close to
anyone
ever again.”

“Is that a fact?” Carlos laughed. “We’ll see about that.”

Carlos quickly bombarded him with yellow-colored energy balls, throwing them constantly from both hands. Eligos moved so fast that I couldn’t keep up with him; he dodged every one of them. Then he disappeared and reappeared, right in front of Carlos. He punched him with his true demon strength and sent him flying across the driveway. Carlos hastily gathered himself. Eligos moved quickly and in a split second was no more than two feet away from Carlos. He threw what looked like an orb of energy at him and sent him crashing to the ground again.