Below are snippets from the various chapters
to give you a taste of what passes for sanity
in a world where the rules of reality are as mutable
as a politician's position.
If you want to see them all at once, click here 
|
| What is it about?
|
23. First Blood or Something Like It
Nebbish’s dreams of conquest dissipated when someone
shook him awake. He lashed out in startled confusion and
jumped back from a shower of hot sparks. He stared stupidly at
the scepter in his hand and then at the pile of ashes that had been
an angel just a moment earlier.
Shaking off grogginess, he felt the rising euphoria of unexpected
success. “Not a bad first test,” he said.
He scattered the ashes with a kick and wondered briefly why
he didn’t feel remorse at having extinguished an eternal life. The
reverse was true; he felt better, stronger than ever as the scepter
resumed its song of praise in his mind.
|
47. Women With Tattoos
The women glanced at each other and let out twin laughs;
sensual music to Jury’s battered ego. The session on Mandy’s
doorstep had planted seeds of doubt that could be the death of a
cocksman. Fortunately, the gods still smiled on their favored son.
Why else would they have offered up these two sweet honeys to
soothe the sting of the evening’s earlier misadventure?
There was a lot of wriggling and giggling as the girls tried a
variety of positions to fit themselves comfortably, if somewhat
inelegantly, into the single available seat of the two-seater
Roadster. Jury watched the whole thing with mounting interest as
clothes were disarranged and legs rearranged before the pair
finally settled into a suitable arrangement; Dee sideways in
Delilah’s lap, her legs curled to give him a tantalizing view up her
short skirt—made shorter from riding up during the settling in
process.
|
71. When All News is Bad
“There’s something else,” Jophiel said in a barely audible
whisper. “At first, only Nebbish’s followers exhibited blind-faith
fanaticism. Now, even angels that were opposed to him, but
unwilling to choose sides are spouting savior rhetoric.”
“It’s the scepter,” Zi’iel said through clenched teeth. “The
cursed thing is ensnaring anyone not fully committed to opposing
Nebbish. It seems as if uncertainty is as good as capitulation when
it comes to the scepter’s insidious reach.”
That grim conclusion put an end to the discussion. The two
angels stared at each other. What else was there to say when the
only hopes for salvation were locked up, kicked out or gone
away?
|
Prologue - Night Hunt
Dreams are backdoors to shadow worlds at the fringes of
reality. In forever-dark places, primal terrors prowl with
an ancient ambition—to break free and unmake all of existence.
And when the dreamer is a paranormal detective hunting killers
from the dawn of creation, doors are opened that should never have
existed in the first place.
|
24. Sweet Suspicion
“Quite the family pedigree,” Mike said without rancor. No
wonder he felt oppressive weight whenever he stepped into a
place of worship. He was an unholy aberration according to the
righteous rules of religious doctrine.
“So he’s mother’s father. After all the demonic stuff you’ve
told me, why does his giving me the letter spook you?”
The priest stopped biting at his lower lip. “Because Francis is
a long time dead.”
That got Mike’s attention. “Are you saying he was a ghost?”
“I don’t know what he was. Katrina told me Francis passed
away about five years after you were born. It didn’t surprise me,
he was an old man when I met him over fifty years ago.”
“But now you’re not so sure?”
“Now I worry that the prophet did not foresee such an event.
I wonder what else he may have missed or forgot to mention.”
|
48. Desperate Gamble
The mind-seared and emotionally blistered hierarchs
stumbled up the winding corridor in shaky ones and twos.
Raphael’s customary grin was badly broken and the woebegone
pieces hung in a limp grimace of loathing. Gabriel shared his
friend’s revulsion and would have liked nothing better than scrub
his mind clean of Nebbish’s vile intrusion.
With gritted teeth, Raphael followed Gabriel into his quarters
and let his pent up fury explode. “Damn the bastard’s soul. I didn’t
know I could hurt so much. What did he do to us?”
|
72. Death is a Mother
Mike’s agonized body gave Bella a monumental scare when a
long sigh escaped from his lips and he settled limply on the bed.
“Mike?”
Bella’s hand was trembling when she reached out to touch
Mike’s chest. Her own heart almost stopped when she couldn’t
feel the beat of his.
|
1. Night Haunt
Beyond the buzz of rushing blood in
his head, the maelstrom's howl hushed to a whisper.
“You are abomination,” a silky voice said. “You should never
have been created.”
The python pressure constricting Mike’s chest squeezed until it
felt like his ribs would snap.
“Balance must be restored. You must be unmade.”
The insinuating voice spoke longingly of annihilation, and
made devastation sound desirable. Despite the contradicting pain,
Mike began to believe the perverse exhortation.
|
25. Interrupted Life
“Ah, child. I thought you were smarter than that,” Zara said
with mild reproach. “Unlike Eve, Lilith was not made to serve—
or to share. The jewel that gives her power and life was a present
from the one who created her. Maybe Lucifer made a mistake or
maybe he intended it, but the upshot of it is that Lilith has total
empathy toward women, but feels not a flicker of it for men. To
her, they are predators that harm those she feels a compact with.
The fault is not hers, but her creator’s.”
“I thought God made us. How is it that you credit Lucifer with
her creation?”
Zara shook her head and smiled. “If I answer every question
you come up with, the world will end before I’m done. Suffice it
to say, creation is by God’s design, but the angels are the instruments
that brought it about.”
|
49. Marked Men
The sound of Saturday morning cartoons woke Jury. He let out
a death-demanding groan and sank deeper into the black satin
pillows. He tried to stay awake, but it felt like his eyelids were
nailed shut—and the hammer was still pounding into his head.
Visions of Lilith and the party haunted his half wakefulness.
He felt Solomon thumping on his chest, but it faded as the ebony
giant became an ebony woman with a tribal scar. The face was just
as angry though and his heart beat in near-terror when the dark
queen of Lilith’s guard stared deep into his being. She dug into
depths he didn’t venture into, places he preferred not to look. His
thoughts wouldn’t stay still and kept slipping out of his control as
the scornful voice unraveled old memories and dragged them to
the surface. The reproachful murmur was mad at him, but the
words were discontinuous as he drifted in and out of reality.
|
73. A Mother of a Morning
The curtain around his bed was whipped back and Jury
winced. He knew two of the smiling nurses standing behind his
mother; their amusement didn’t bode well for his future carnal
endeavors. He didn’t see anything after that as he was buried in a
bear hug of concern and white fur.
Jury coughed out a mouthful of Arctic Fox. “Hello, mother.
Uhm, I can’t breathe.”
Matron stood back and stripped away Jury’s remaining dignity
with her light laugh. “Son, I never knew this side of you.”
Great. Everyone was suddenly a comedian.
|
2. Blood of Milk and Honey
Jury slipped into the Tox Lab, happy to notice everyone was
gone for lunch. Everyone that is, except the sweet delight perched
precariously on the edge of her lab stool. Mandy was completely
engrossed in the sample on her microscope and didn’t notice Jury
enter. He took advantage of the moment to admire the long tanned
legs stretching out from the hiked up skirt. One foot rested on a
rung of the high stool while the other barely reached the floor. Oh
yes, she might be fun for a few weeks, not just a one-nighter.
|
26. New Rules, Old Delusions
Jophiel gave him a quizzical look and glanced around to make sure they were alone in the corridor. “I don’t know if I should say
this, but Michael had a book he wrote in after every…visitation.
He was extremely secretive about it. The one time I caught a
glimpse inside it, I got the impression not all of the handwriting
was his own.”
“You mean the book may have belonged to someone else?”
“More likely his penmanship changed with his degree of submersion
in God’s grace.” He regarded Gabriel, his eyes
narrowing. “You think the voice drove him mad, don’t you?”
|
50. Judas is a Name
Jebediah had been dreading the imminent encounter. Alley
meetings with the Holy Warrior were becoming increasingly
vicious. One wrong word was enough to enflame his holy
leader’s temper into violence, which wasn’t really all that
different from their childhood relationship.
“Damn you, Ralph. You’ve been a millstone around my neck
since mother birthed your scrawny ass. How could you not keep
an eye on our stupid little brother? You knew Waldo was an
overzealous flake with the brain power of a peapod.”
“My holy name is Jebediah.”
“Your name is shit, Ralph. You have no right to a holy name
when you stumble from one failure to the next. Now you’ve gone
and lost Waldo. This is like some twisted joke.”
|
74. Hellfire in Heaven
Nebbish twitched like a spastic puppet with tangled
strings. His eyes rolled back and his head flopped erratically
from side to side. He looked like he was having a seizure,
but it was in fact, just a regular feeding.
The scepter hummed with an audible whine while sparkling
stars danced along its surface and up Nebbish’s arm to burrow into
his body. The vassal was being replenished with the Master’s
power and the overflow was sorely straining his capacity to hold
it in without tearing apart.
|
3. Father Priest
Mike took a deep breath and bulled toward the dark passage
to meet the demon of his boyhood dreams. Childish hurts had
healed into nettling scars, but the nearness of confrontation
stripped the scabs off and ripped open the old wounds. It was time
for a reckoning, and Heaven help the soul that stood between
Mike and the man he’d come to revile.
As if reading Mike’s intent, the old priest tempted fate and
stepped in his way; the kind blue eyes seeking to soothe some of
the anger from the avenging angel.
“Be kind ta him, lad.”
Mike choked on the suggestion and answered through gritted
teeth. “Like the bastard was kind to my mother?”
|
27. The Devil in His Heart
Jury ground his teeth as he stared at the familiar face of the
near-naked corpse lying on the cold slab in the morgue.
“How did he die?”
“We haven’t begun the autopsy yet, but it’s going to be a
messy investigation. The headline hacks are going to love writing
this one up. Someone drained all of his blood.”
The priest’s prophetic words echoed grimly in Jury’s memory.
Had the Satan worshippers found a source for their blood rites? It
was a mistake they were going to regret when he hunted them
down and executed their sentence.
“Are you trying to tell me a vampire sucked Paul dry?”
“No, not Dracula stuff; a single puncture in his right carotid,
about the size of a ten-gauge needle. Our bloodsucker has a state-of-
the-art setup—way more advanced than what’s used in
hospitals. And it wasn’t done in the alley where he was found.
There was no trace of blood on the ground—or on his clothes.
Somebody brought the body there and laid it out carefully.”
“What do you mean?”
“Check the pictures after they’re developed. They could have
tossed him in the dumpster quick and easy. It might have been
days before we found him—if at all. No, they laid Paul out proper,
like at a wake; arms folded across his chest, his suit arranged
neatly...almost with reverence.”
“Sweet Jesus,” Jury snapped. “That’s all I need, a psycho head
taker and a whacked bunch of neat-freak bloodsuckers.”
|
51. Hell in a Handbook
Gabriel remembered the final moment beside the dying Tree
of Knowledge. Unlike what the aerth-born sagas conjecture, the
war in Heaven wasn’t a chaotic fury of winged warriors doing
bloody battle. It wasn’t even a devastating display of raw power
such as the one Nebbish unleashed on the hierarchs.
No, it was a war of words and a clash of ideas that split the
Heavenly Host. Ideology was the ammunition, conviction the
weapon, and argument the battlefield. That was how the foremost
of God’s creatures fought for salvation and survival. In the end,
they turned on each other as the cause, not the cure, for their desperation.
Wherever God was, he must have wept.
|
75. A Far Place Out of Time
Bleak is reality in the realm once home to the pinnacle of
creation. The might of creation stands dying amidst the rubble of
a dead world.
The Final Five, all who remain from the first race of creation,
face each other in a broken circle. Stubbornly, they cling to
existence and prepare to sacrifice themselves in a last battle of a
war already lost to forces poised to unmake the universe.
|
4. Divine Madness
Gabriel stopped writing. There was no need to go on. The
theme of his disarrayed thoughts was evident—and damning. His
betrayal was complete, and swept him firmly out of indecision
into unwanted sedition.
Delusion! Lunacy! Asylum! Disturbing facts, treacherous
thoughts; frightening in their implication. The sour taste of
unwelcome truth was hard to swallow, as was the bitter revelation
that he would have to incite rebellion to save Heaven.
An eternity of denial was revealed with terrible clarity by
sparse words that spoke volumes about Heaven’s predicament.
|
28. The Curse of Lilith
“For all her killing, Lilith is an innocent,” Zara said. “She fell
in love with her creator and despised Adam because he fell short
of the Morning Star’s brilliance. She could not bear the touch of
man, too great was her wonder at the touch of an angel. Lilith
wanted only to be with Lucifer and abandoned Adam, whose mate
she was meant to be. Lucifer admonished her for this and
explained his error in creating her. For reasons of his own, he had
embellished the instructions the Creator gave him and made Lilith
more than she was meant to be. In his remorse, he rejected her
devotion and sent her back to Adam.”
“But she ran away?”
“First she committed an act so heinous she shamed herself
forever in her creator’s eyes.”
“She tried to kill Adam?”
“No,” Zara said with profound sadness. “She tried to kill
herself.”
|
52. Jury's Verdict
Jury was mad. Someone was going to pay for disfiguring
him—and a damned dragon of all things. But where to go?
He was fully dressed, car keys at the ready and hand on the
apartment door. He had no evidence to identify a culprit, but who
could it have been except the gorgeous witches he’d picked up
outside Lilith’s Paradise.
He yanked the door open and dropped his jaw. There they
were, the two of them standing as perky as you please with bags
of groceries in their arms.
“Good morning, lover,” Dee said as she patted his cheek and
stepped past him. “Feeling better?”
Jury was flabbergasted and could do nothing except hold the
door open until Delilah swished by him toward the kitchen. He
was still standing there like a dumbstruck oaf when Dee sauntered
back. She removed his hand from the doorknob and pulled him
into the living room. With a laugh she plunked him on the black
leather couch.
|
76. Nature of the Beast
Mike took a deep breath and Bella screamed, first from fright
then from joy.
“Darling, you’ve come back to me.”
He was willing to answer, but settled for returning the hundred
or so kisses she gave him. It was then that he noticed the familiar
position they were in, naked and in bed together. He really liked
the sound of that—together.
“Where were we,” he said as he reached for her.
“Oh, no you don’t,” Bella said as she pushed his hands away
and scrambled on top of him. She held his arms beside his head
and said, “What happened to you? Why aren’t you dead?”
|
5. Transgressions
Mike knew that the pent up anger trying to rule him was
making him irrational. He was being foolish. A confrontation with
these strangers was senseless—especially if they really were
priests like their white tab collars implied. His quarrel was with a
man he hadn’t even identified yet.
He just about had his temper under control when the burly
priest twitched his left arm and Mike saw the glint of a blade slide
into the man’s hand.
|
29. We Are What We Say
The meeting of hierarchs was poorly attended, less than
half of the seventy-seven were present. The shock of
recent events had sent many into seclusion to expiate their trepidation
while others lost themselves among the common angels,
looking for security in greater numbers.
“What a pathetic group,” Dedziel said with disgust. “The Foul
Lord makes an appearance and our fellow leaders scurry off to
hide behind excuses.”
As was usually the case, Dedziel didn’t wait for the meeting
in the Chapel of the Chosen to come to order before he started on
a tirade. And as always, Malochiel intervened to take the sting out
of his friend’s inconsiderate pronouncements.
“I’m sure they are coping to the best of their abilities.”
“Coping? You call pretending prayer is going to deal with
Lucifer, coping?”
|
53. Preying Priest
“Adam’s whore bride!” Emerson snarled as he slammed his
fist on the table. What a vile revelation. Would women always be
his bane?
“It’s a name Emerson. That is all.” Père Antoine said patiently.
“Who knows why she chose it.”
Emerson knew, he felt it in his bones. The whelp was right, the
beast was a deserting bitch. The beast he’d been anointed to hunt
was the harlot that ran from Adam and prepared the way for man’s
fall from glory, just like his traitorous mother ruined him. No
damned woman was going to keep him from his rightful destiny a
second time.
“She chose it because it is her true name,” he told the others.
“Mark my words, she is the embodiment of blasphemy and must
be put to death immediately...”
|
77. The Verge of Death
Keiko walked through the pitch black mine tunnel toward the
muted light spilling out of a breach in the rock. The opening was
wider than the mine shaft. The smell wafting out of it was horrendous.
She took off her headdress, doubled it up and covered her
mouth and nose. She tried hard not to imagine how many beasts it
would take to escalate the stink to toxic levels. For better or
worse, she had found their foul lair.
Worse, they had found her too.
“Step inside,” the greasy voice behind her said.
Keiko let go the scarf she was holding, gripped her katana
with both hands, turned and slashed at the voice, all in one fluid
motion before the scarf hit to the ground. She cut empty air. The
disgusting, pustule-pocked man-thing had stepped back faster
than any human could move. If the stench of the hulking beasts
was nauseating, the sight of the oozing-sores face grinning at her
was enough to make her want to vomit on him just to improve his
looks.
She knew she was in trouble when the thing that looked like a
man infected by every known flesh disease drooled and said,
“Mmmm, I bet you taste yummy.”
|
6. Hung Jury
“Okay, Paul, I give, but the guy still bugs me.”
“Do you want to switch places with him? Are you willing to
have colleagues, but not friends? Do you want to wake up with the
screaming meemies when you dream of killers instead of babes?”
“NO,” Jury said emphatically.
“Then cut him some slack, Jack. He’s really an okay guy when
you get to know him.”
Jury grinned at his partner. “Yes, big brother. I’ll be nice to the
weirdo. Happy now?”
“Getting there,” Harra said with a grin of his own. “Ask me
again tomorrow.”
“You’re onto something,” Jury said with renewed excitement. “Come on, spill it.”
Raphael looked critically at his friend who had lapsed into
introspection again. “You’re going to do it the hard way.”
Gabriel didn’t try to deny it. “I owe him that much. He
suffered the most when we lost contact with the Creator. His
harshness comes from his own hurt as much as it does from
whatever fear is whispering craziness in his ear.”
“Are you sure you want to consult the opposition before you
attempt to depose them? Seems like a hazardous path to victory.”
Gabriel didn’t reply. He knew it was dangerous to confront
Michael and risk the unstable archangel’s wrath. But, for better or
worse, he had to talk to Michael before instigating war in Heaven.
|
30. Life's Little Leftovers
Mike was lost in thought while the priest drove them to the
hospital. The streets were the same everywhere, few people out
and about and hardly any traffic. Everyone was glued to their TV
set. Many would probably skip work to watch the end-of-theworld
broadcasts.
The news reports he saw earlier were an ever-expanding list of
catastrophes tentatively tied to the sky scar. Three volcanoes on
the Japan side of the Ring of Fire were blowing hot lava through
the ocean floor and boiling the waters from Okinawa to Taipei into
fish soup. Earthquakes were rumbling a path through Turkey and
Greece and showing signs of heading north. Unusual cloud formations
hovering over the poles gave every indication of inundating
the cold spots with warm rain.
Malfunctioning satellites, falling stock markets, and even
impotency were being blamed on the sky scar. Mike was sure
politicians would soon fault it for dips in their approval ratings.
Devout believer or confirmed skeptic, everyone agreed that the
world was experiencing an unprecedented apocalypse of misery.
The only good news was that the abundance of natural
disasters restrained human atrocity to record low levels.
Governments, guerrillas and fanatics finally had a more tangible
enemy than each other’s points of view.
Mike tensed when a glance in the side mirror reflected a dog
peeing on a fire hydrant. The act itself wasn’t cause for consternation,
but the fact the pooch was hovering three feet off the ground
was ample reason to do a double-take.
It had to be fatigue or a defect in the mirror, except the mirror
looked fine and he wasn’t tired.
|
54. Seeds of Dissent
Gabriel was troubled. Adam and Eve gained knowledge, that
was certain. But what did they learn? Did they know why the Tree
of Knowledge died, seemingly saving the last fruit for them? Then
a flash of inspiration overturned his universe with a paradigm
shattering revelation.
They both ate the fruit!
Adam and Eve did what angels had never done—they shared
the fruit and split the vision. Each had half the message. What
legacy would this coupled sight bring?
|
78. When All Else Fails
A disturbing idea flashed through Gabriel’s thoughts. “How
well is Paradise protected?”
“Not at all. The race has become discordant since they spread
throughout the world. I doubt if there is a single idea that is shared
by all of them—unless it is hatred for an opposing point of view.
They are ripe for destruction.”
“Can we do anything to help them?”
“Valiant thought, Gabriel, but first help yourself. Remember,
the only way...”
Gabriel didn’t hear the rest as he hurriedly tucked away the
gargoyle and sprinted to the edge of the pool. There were shouts
coming from the corridor. His absence had definitely been discovered.
There was no safe place to hide. It was time to make a
choice, flight or fight.
|
| 7. Friend and Foe |
31. Dark Light of Salvation
With each twist of untruth and wave of the rod, Nebbish
pushed opinion where he wanted it to go. Gabriel was certain the
smoke-and-mirrors show wouldn’t fool anyone, but sporadic
applause and cheers contradicted him. He peered out from his
hiding place. All eyes were focused on Nebbish. Few expressions
expressed doubt. There was something disturbing about how
easily the gaudy prince was manipulating the mood of the angels.
If Gabriel could see through the charade, why couldn’t the others?
“I am here for you,” the liar said. “Let me lead you out of the
darkness of our shared sadness into the light of our former glory.”
Gabriel cringed as he watched the Shepherds cheer and nudge
wavering angels beside them to do the same.
|
55. Death is a Pleasure
He looked at Agatha, dried tears streaking his face. “I’m going
to die, aren’t I?” He said it as matter-of-factly as a child asking for
a cookie. “It’s okay, I don’t mind. I would rather die than go back
to my brothers.”
His face was full of hope, then panic. “You will, won’t you?
It’ll be worse if I go back. I know I have to die, just...please...don’t
make it hurt.”
Agatha felt a chill as the boy’s aura turned pearly pink and his
thoughts found peace from their previous turmoil. He really did
want to die and escape his personal hell of brotherhood.
|
79. Beasts From Heaven
Agatha closed here eyes and plunged her mystic sight into the
grayness. Somewhere in there were pieces of Bella’s tenuous hold
on life. If she could weave them into a solid lifeline, Bella could
hang on until Lilith recovered enough life-force to share.
It was like holding smoke. The shifting tendrils dissipated
even before she tried to move them. The wisps of life were just too
tenuous to touch without destroying them even with the gentlest
tug. The task was arduous and at the end fruitless.
Agatha was about to give up when a tidal wave of turquoise
poured into the gray void.
“No, stop,” she gasped. “You will die if you give all of
yourself.”
|
8. From the Grave
That reminded Mike of the letter and he reverently took the time-yellowed envelope out of his pocket. Why would his mother leave it with the old priest instead of her lawyer? Nervously, he tore a thin strip off the edge and shook out the single folded page inside. He hesitated, not because a message from beyond death unnerved him, but because he was disturbed by the idea his mother had something to say she couldn't tell him while she was alive.
With Herculean effort, Harra unglued his sluggish eyelids and looked around the transformed room. The lights seemed even dimmer than before except for a bright white circle illuminating the entrance. Most of the women were holding hands and swaying with the rhythmic heartbeat of the drum, their unity a palpable thing. He felt an electric excitement course through the room that had even glum-faced Myra smiling. All eyes were turned to the door, waiting...for what?
A surge of pain cleared some of the fog in his head and Harra realized Dee was unconsciously digging her fingernails into his thigh as she stared anxiously at the door. On his right, Delilah was equally entranced, not reacting one way or another to his hand groping her breast.
|
32. Neon Dragons and Legal Lizards
Jury was beginning to get mad, but had no way to vent his
anger short of shooting the door. About the time the idea was
beginning to sound good, it opened and the big woman stepped in
front of him. Standing a step above him, she looked like a warrior
about to behead a kneeling prisoner.
“Let’s see your tin again.”
She made a production of comparing his face to the picture ID
before she led him to the nearest table by the door. She sat down
with an unhappy grunt and glared at the young detective.
“Nice place,” Jury said as he stepped past the table and started
looking around. The décor was too pretty for his tastes. He would
have preferred wall-to-wall modern nudes instead of the classic
Raphaelite art.
“I thought you had questions?” the door guardian snapped
behind him. Jury was enjoying paying her back for making him
wait and ignored her. He walked back to the table, but rather than
sit, he cherished her flicker of annoyance when he continued past
her to the bar.
“This is beautiful work,” he said, purposely running his
fingers over Eve’s bare breasts on the mural beside it. Aside from
annoying the woman to spark an outburst that might give him
grounds for a warrant, he couldn’t have cared less about the fine
art. What he was really interested in was the door behind the bar.
Based on the layout of the room, it had to lead to a fairly large
backstage area; the perfect place to keep things out of sight of
customers—and nosy detectives.
|
56. Strange Love
Bella was a sleeping beauty lost to the world of cares. Mike
was just lost. He was restless, unable to relax after the horrible
dream that woke him a few minutes earlier. It was never pleasant
to dream about death. And this time, the impending death had
been his own. Bad news when you have a proven track record of
accurate predictions.
Agreat horned demon had reared up in front of him, its glossy,
leathery wings reflecting the ring of protective fire around it.
Mike closed his eyes, but that only sharpened the image. He had
sensed a tangle of friends and enemies fighting behind him, but
had ignored their plight and plunged willingly into the fire surrounding
the demon. A dream of a different madness replaced the
first one before he could determine if the fire pit he fell into was
Hell.
|
80. Headless and Hopeless
Mike heard the scream from the front door and knew trouble
had arrived. He felt unsteady, but danger to Bella spurred him to
action. He slipped the jewel he was still holding into his pocket
and grabbed his gun from the nightstand drawer. He stepped out
of the bedroom and walked into a backpedaling Agatha.
“What’s going on?” he said.
His answer was blocking most of the afternoon light coming
in the front room window. It was the beast from the alley—or at
least one exactly like it.
|
| 9. Too Good To Be True |
33. Puppet Master
Jophiel was a blemish on the shining face of the cheering
Host. Like the other angels in the Assembly Hall, he could
feel the elation of renewed hope surge through him and force out
despair. But unlike his brethren, he couldn’t embrace the slippery
eel of unsubstantiated certainty. Something kept him from sharing
in the resplendent pleasure of resurgent purpose. Try as he might
to accept it, the unrestrained passion of his enthralled brethren
sang hollow substance in his mind and kept him apart.
His thoughts burned with nearly unbearable excitement, but
he was blessed with only passing pleasure instead of the all-consuming
rapture that swayed the others. The harder the
intrusive enticement sought to dominate his will, the more he felt
drained rather than devoted. The longer the coercive influence
demanded compliance, the more he felt too muddle-minded to
care that a new messiah stood in the ruby pulpit.
“Heaven is saved, Nebbish is our Savior,” sang the voices all
around him.
The joy in his brethren’s faces brought Jophiel fresh pain.
Who was damned? The one who suffered while others felt saved
or those who succumbed to the glory of compelled adoration?
Some angels held their arms up in obeisant homage while others
stared twirl-eyed at the swirling vortex atop the dome. An increasing
number collapsed in their seats as if their offering of unbridled
devotion had drained them of life.
|
57. Furious Failure, Uncertain Success
Gabriel put away the book. Knowing Lucifer’s thoughts
during the time of trouble reaffirmed his opinion of the star-bright
angel, but did nothing to help them in their current crisis.
“Find anything useful, Raphael?”
“A lot of speculation on the meaning of life and the intricacies
of integrating individual creations into a seamless system.
Our friend was rather single-minded on the subject. I also found
references that he was investigating multiple planes of existence
and races we know nothing about, so my sub-celestial city might
not be farfetched after all.”
|
81. Disturbing Death
Immortals and the dead do not concern themselves with time
as others do. That oppressive encumbrance only burdens the
living. Having stepped past life, the dead comprehend that time is
not absolute, but a circumstance of condition. Where life has lost
its meaning, time also takes on a different measure.
In the muted realm where Death grants justice to the mortally
departed, a vile wind insinuates itself and disturbs the postmortem
serenity of those awaiting retribution. Unlike the living,
made deaf by their lifeblood-noise, the unburdened dead hear the
cry of annihilation in the terrible thunder that rumbles a promise
of obliteration of all that ever was or can be.
The dead have no need for creature comforts. Nor do they
retain appreciation for art or beauty. They are preoccupied only
with absolution from the stain of having lived. They mill about
awaiting their turn to be released from remembering life. Like
moths to flame, they are drawn to the high throne, rough-hewn
and shaped from a single obsidian piece, it is unadorned save for
an intricate carving of an imp on the left corner of the backrest.
|
10. Black Sheep
An abnormal calmness settled over Nebbish and he favored them with a saccharine smile. The rage may have been reigned in, but the storm still seethed below the tranquil surface. "I see now there is no hope for either of you." The smile stayed, so he obviously wasn't disappointed by the observation. "I searched for you to inform you the Blessed Messenger has ordered a special convocation of the hierarchs and leading angels."
"Care to expand on that?" Gabriel said.
Nebbish's grin just got bigger, like a child with a secret too good to share.
"Skip it, Gabe," Raphael said. "He's just an errand boy who thinks flatulence is the same as the wind of change."
The eye of the hurricane twitched but remained calm, only the smile stiffened. "Your time will come, Raphael," Nebbish said softly. "Count on it."
|
34. Toying With the Dead
His dilemma resolved, the precocious imp walked along the
diamond gravel path to the OneDoor at the far end of the lightless
realm. It could only be opened if someone knocked from outside. He would have to wait for a Seeker. The sorrow-driven rarely came to
the Purging-place to try and cheat death anymore. But with so
many bodies falling into the black pit, there was bound to be a distraught
one eventually who would come to reclaim a loved one
from the shades of death. The ill-conceived rescue would fail, it
almost always did, but maybe the soul seeker would guide the imp
to a Not-here place.
There was another way out, or so his sire had told them, but
that way was too frightening. In their vague childlike way, the
imps understood they were immortal, but all feared the lair at the
bottom of the abyss. That was where Mother Death lived, the one
who sorted the dead and cut out their spirits. No sane imp went
there and risked an end to playtime. Then again, he was an imp
who no longer liked playtime. Maybe not-being was a game he
would enjoy.
|
58. Teasing Tongues
“So, are you going to give me some real loving? It’s been so
long since I had a live woman that Rosy Palm is taking on a ersonality?”
“She is a girl you know?”
“Yeah, she’s my five-fingers girl,” Bushy-brows said with a
laugh.
“Ah, self-stimulation. It is an orgasm that you desire?”
“You got it, babe, one where I don’t do all the work and my
hand doesn’t play the girl.”
“I will ask my lady. Her touch can bring a man to the height
of pleasure. The French call it le petit mort. My lady can give you
le grand mort. Would you like that?”
“Shit, yeah. She can French me all she wants.”
Mei-Lin left the inebriated man sagging in his chair and went
to report to Lilith. She contemplated taking a shower right after,
but knew there was no way to wash off the man’s filth—even if it
was just his eyes that had touched her.
|
82. Betrayal
Mike’s reality took a step to the left and left him hanging. The
prophecy had never mentioned a gender for the beast. He wasn’t
sure what it meant, but felt sure there was something significant
about the revelation.
“Mike?” Bella asked noting his hesitation.
How could he explain the beast was his bane with the thing
sitting less than six feet from him? Mike almost stepped back
instead of forward when the beast stood up. Even hunched over,
its head brushed the ceiling.
His feet stopped, but his heart raced when he heard the voice
in his head.
< You hesitate because I am your death. >
|
11. Elsewhere and Otherwise
The assurance of death assuages the rage in The Master’s voice, but doesn't dull the cutting edge of his anger.
"You are certain of this? Be so, because you stake your miserable existence on the outcome of your judgment!"
"I have touched his soul, Master. His fear makes him pliable and his anger makes him ours to control."
Disturbed by his master’s silence, The Servant implores, "You will see, Master. The living key will kill his race at our behest. Then we will wield him as our instrument to unseal the gates of annihilation."
|
35. Fighting Tigers With Chopsticks
“Hello, Jack, long time no see,” the bombshell in the business
suit said.
“Jan? What are you doing here?”
“Same as you, Jack, just doing my job.”
Jury had a bad feeling in his gut that had nothing to do with
the sauerkraut chili dog and soda he’d wolfed down for lunch.
“Are you telling me Spence and Parsons are the lawyers for
this place? You’re a little far afield from your Fortune 500 turf.”
“I was thinking the same about you, Jack. What brings a boy
from Elegant Heights to the Old Quarter? Quite a ways from your
regular beat.”
Jack had run into Janna Proust before. He hadn’t enjoyed
sparring with her then either. What should have been a straightforward
session of well-investigated testimony turned into a grueling
hour of courtroom chess. He knew he was outmatched after the
first fifteen minutes. The beautiful young woman was all politeness
as she made a mockery of his credibility and impugned his
words with a look, a smile, a smirk, but never in a way the prosecution
could challenge. In the end, she scuttled his testimony until
nothing was solid beyond a doubt. When the trial was over, her
client walked, she celebrated, and Jury sulked.
|
59. Deliberate Blood
Powerless to light a candle, let alone incinerate a demon,
Gabriel watched with impotent fury as Nebbish whispered to the
scepter and Raphael screamed in response. Gabriel noticed a
burn-scar on Nebbish’s right cheek. Raphael must have gotten off
at least one shot past the protective crimson aura before Nebbish
hung him high to die.
The bloody brilliance beat like a malignant heartbeat, each
pulse draining life from the universe—and the archangels in its
presence. Gabriel felt a sense of misplaced pride when Raphael
gritted his teeth and smiled a snarl at his tormentor.
|
83. Lord of Fire
Jury tried to shake the ache from his head. Why did every
jackass who watched TV think a blow to back of the head would
knock someone out? He touched the bloody spot tenderly, hoping
the split skin didn’t also mean a cracked skull.
When he heard concussion grenades go off, he pulled out his
cell phone and dialed 911. “Shots fired. Officer on the scene. Get
the SWAT unit down here on the double.”
He gave the dispatcher the address and moved cautiously
toward the cedar hedge of the house beside Bella’s. He almost ran
away when he saw the army of foul characters creeping down the
street toward her house.
A legion of Devil Mike’s foul friends definitely was not in his script. Heaven help him, they looked like an advert for social diseases run amok.
|
12. Shadows of the Past
A meeting of kindred souls is usually a happy occasion, but the one taking place between two conspirators in the deep shadows of a midtown alley was neither business nor pleasure. As is often the case among fanatics, the two shared a common cause, but served separate ambitions.
"WHO ARE YOU?" Nebbish yelled franticly.
"I am what you aspire to be," the voice answered with unnerving calm. "I am the retribution you fear. Look upon me and know your better."
With those words, the shape in the shadows radiated golden light with a brilliance only Michael could have matched--but that wasn't who stood there.
Nebbish was aghast. "LUCIFER! Damn your soul! How did you get into Heaven?"
The ironic twist of the damned looking down on the faithful and judging them unworthy was not lost on Gabriel. Most of the angels were shaken and many crossed themselves as if superstitious gestures could ward off supposed evil. Some stared longingly at the doors, but the unflinching guards kept that avenue of escape barred. A few smiled, however, and Gabriel knew there were still some who fondly remembered the Lucifer of old.
"Stand up, dear," Dee said and nudged the table away enough to give him room to stand.
Needless to say, Harra rose to the occasion. He didn't quite know what the game was, but with this many attentive women it didn't really matter. He glanced around the room and saw he was indeed the center of attention; a hundred hungry eyes stared at him.
His thoughts were salivating uncontrollably as endless sexual possibilities flashed through his mind. With a sweep, his eyes undressed the women in the room, many of whom were coming closer, their eyes glittering with glassy-eyed excitement.
Oh yeah, Harra's gonna rewrite the Kama fuckin Sutra tonight--and maybe add a few chapters.
|
36. Dripping Irony
“What a wonderful thing you turned out to be,” Raphael said
as he gazed into the clear waters of the World Pool. “There is a
way to see what transpires in Heaven after all—you just have to
commit sacrilege to achieve it.”
He shook off the water from his clandestine dive into one of
Heaven’s most sacred places. It wouldn’t do to be caught on this
one. It wouldn’t do at all. Still, the impious trespass had yielded
unexpected results. It was time to find Gabriel and share his
astounding discovery.
|
60. Dreaming Butterflies
Before anyone else could answer, a serious-faced Dee gave
her the rundown. “Well, first we sacrifice some goats and some
chickens, then we cut the heart out of the first man we see...”
Mandy’s eyes got bigger and rounder as her mind envisioned
Dee’s ever more imaginative list of blood rituals. What had she
gotten herself into?
“Dee.” Janna admonished gently.
“What, no blood and butchery?”
“Ignore her,” Janna said. “She just hasn’t learned to grow up,
but then that’s one of the things we love about her.”
“No blood?” Mandy asked with relief.
|
84. Endings Beget Beginnings
The long cavern could only be described as a cultivated
hostile contradiction. It was all black obsidian, but where the floor
was polished to a smooth shine, the ceiling was an uncountable
array of serrated obsidian blades waiting to impale whoever
walked below.
“Not good,” Gabriel said aloud and immediately regretted it.
Several of the blades sheared off from the vibration of his
voice echoing through the grotto and they dropped like daggers.
The piece that pierced his hand implied a terrible truth. A
futile attempt to manifest angelfire confirmed it.
I am mortal here.
|
| 13. Hell of a Heaven |
37. Girls, Giggles and Lies
Mike was the first to break away. He looked at Bella sternly. “Don’t you think it’s time you filled us in on what happened to
you? Where have you been for the last thirty-eight hours?”
“I’m fine, thanks. How are you?” Bella said teasingly, but
Mike wasn’t playing anymore.
“How would you like to be spanked?” he said, and promptly
blushed when he realized Bella was contemplating the idea.
Angie came to his rescue. “The man is right, babe. You look
fine, a little wacky, but no apparent injures. So what happened?”
The question was trickier than Angie could imagine and Bella
was stumped for a plausible answer. The truth? No, they’d definitely
lock her up and throw away the key if she told them she had
been with a gypsy and a monster reliving someone else’s
memories of a few hundred years ago. What then? Only one
choice, truth by omission.
|
61. When Angels Die
Gabriel took two steps toward his injured friend when an
insane cackle pulled him up short. Apparently unhurt, dustcovered
malice sat on the floor grinning wickedly at him.
“I knew where there is one there is the other,” Nebbish said.
“Welcome to the party, Gabriel.”
With a flick of his wrist, Nebbish pointed the scepter and
unleashed enough force to scorch half of Paradise. A firestorm
ripped into Gabriel and shot scorching flames through his body.
|
85. Last Laugh
Chaos swirls with glee as the bonds of reality crack and
crumble.
Swish...
“Master, one of the caged ones has fled.”
“Was he alone?”
“Yes, Master, and by the erratic energy trail, he didn’t know
how to use the single-direction portal properly.”
Swish...
“Where did he escape to?”
The Servant shuddered with remembered terror. “He
went...to...the horror place.”
The Master’s laugh was tinged with his own painful memories
of barely escaping. “Then we have nothing to worry about, the
fool will be master of his own demise.”
Boom...
|
| 14. In the Light of Lucifer's Shadow |
38. Bad to Worse
Gabriel repeated his earlier futile efforts, but fared no better in
opening the unyielding book. In a frenzy induced by the tantalizing
glimpse of Michael’s message, he redoubled his efforts, but
couldn’t even chip off a corner of a page or scratch the binding.
The more he failed, the more frantic his twists and tugs became.
Whatever force held the book closed also protected it from
damage—and right now, a very frustrated archangel was doing his
best to test the limits of that protective power.
He slammed the book against the wall, the floor, and his fist.
He kicked it, punched it and even contemplated chewing at the
crystal straps. He brazed it with angel fire and flamed it with
every spark of energy he could wring from his weakening body.
When there was nothing left, no ounce of power, no strength of
body or will, not even vitality enough to curse, he sank to the floor
and hung his head. Defeated, he let despair claim victory.
|
62. Stalker, Watcher, Hunter, Prey
Jury had almost exhausted his vocabulary of swear words.
First the fine leather shoes and now a tear in his favorite sports
jacket. Hiking through this muddy crap hadn’t been part of his
plan when he left home. He was mad enough that he intended to
shoot the next tree that damaged his clothes.
He should just have knocked and popped in for a surprise
visit. The white witch had invited him after all. Too late now. One
look at his muddy attire and they would know he had been
sneaking around outside their mansion.
“OUCH. SHIT!” Damn, that hurt.
He pulled out a finger-long spike from his leg. Damned viper
vines should be illegal.
|
|
15. Crossroads and Choices
He was about to issue further instructions when a warning prickle ran a chill down his spine. Mike turned and scanned the crowd. Nothing suspicious, just a bunch of early risers picking up a wet topic for Monday water cooler conversation. He broadened his search and focused on the people standing further back in the adjacent park. At first he couldn't see what had triggered his danger reflex. Then alarm bells rang in his head with as much ferocity as the inveigling voice in his archangel dreams.
He barely finished saying, "Son of a bitch," before he was striding purposely toward the smirking figure standing insolently under the umbrella of a large pine tree.
|
39. Dragon Surprise
Jury pulled the crust-cut-off, triangle-sliced sandwiches from
the plastic stay-fresh container. He gulped a piece and poured
himself a steaming cup of almond mocha coffee from the silver
thermos. Matron Jury’s cook knew how to make a stakeout a
delicious experience. The strawberry cheesecake still in the picnic
basket would go well with the macchiato in the second thermos.
He was glad he’d spent the night at his mother’s estate.
The tight-ass lawyer had been easy to follow. Jury had tailed
Janna from the moment she left her high-rise apartment at 8:35
a.m. She had a breakfast meeting with the mayor at 9:00. At 10:15
she met up with a bleached-blond pop star that Jury hadn’t even
known was in town. She left the diva with the wicked hip-wiggle
at 11:45 after taking her shopping. Janna had lunch with the senior
partner of her firm from noon until 2:00. By 4:00 he was tired of
tagging along and worried that the convoluted conspiracy he’d
worked out in his head wasn’t going to get corroborating
evidence. At 4:15 he was grousing about the difficulty of
following her discretely along a winding country road running
between open fields to a fashionable estate district about thirty
minutes out of town. At precisely 4:38:56 he hit pay dirt.
|
63. Uncertain Aftermath
Mike was in Hell. There was no doubt about it this time.
Above him was a blood-red sky. Surrounding him was an army of
monsters with wicked weapons held in clawed hands. They
growled and snarled as they waved their weapons at him. Never
had he imagined such ferocious beasts—and so many of them.
They were too big for him to see beyond the front ranks, but he
knew they numbered in the tens of thousands.
The nightmare took a strange twist when he noticed his own
arm was holding a jagged blade with barbs on the back. It was a
beastly thing designed to slice in one direction and disembowel
with the backswing. It was then that he realized the snarling rage
around him was planning an attack, but not on him. They were
looking to Mike for leadership. He was their general.
|
|
16. Time of the Gypsy
A death yell in the darkness echoed into her head and she edged closer to her brothers. Tomas and Anton reached down and pulled burning brands from the fire. They held them high trying to pierce the gloom with flickering light. Long minutes passed before the stillness was broken by the tentative chirp of a nervous bird. It peeped twice then fell silent as branches snapped and bushes quivered. Something was crashing through the underbrush toward the campsite. Uncle Tadeush moved to intercept, but stepped back when a pale apparition stumbled into the clearing.
The woman might have been beautiful. It was hard to tell. Blood caked her face and chest like a devil mask that flickered with streaks of reflected fire light. The color of her sleeves suggested the crimson blouse had once been white. If there was blood below her waist, it wasn't obvious on the black skirt.
|
40. Bad Place to Be
Raphael slowed his trot around the halo walkway when he
encountered a group of guards at the Chapel dome. They ignored
him, so he gave them no reason to change their minds, although
he was sorely tempted to yank Zi’iel out of line and find out what
the nonsensical enlistment was all about.
Why were so many angels willing to follow Nebbish’s edicts
all of a sudden? The meeting must have been more successful than
he’d imagined. Aside from bits of news gathered while looking
for Gabe, the only thing he knew for sure was that Michael never
made an appearance.
Approaching the bend leading to the Sanctum, Raphael came
across a pair of idle angels new to Nebbish’s guard detachment.
He started up a light-hearted conversation to learn why they
joined and almost had a heart attack when he saw a familiar face
peek out of the Sanctum behind them.
|
64. Heaven's Prisoner
Zi’iel guided Gabriel’s unsteady steps to the Tabernacle exit.
He looked less than pleased when Gabriel spoke loud enough for
others to hear.
“We have to attack Nebbish now, Zi. He’ll never be this weak
again.”
“Silence, traitor,” Rabal snarled as he shoved the bound
archangel tumbling down the two-dozen steps to the golden
boulevard.
Zi’iel gave Rabal a disgusted glance as he went to help
Gabriel.
“Watch what you say,” he whispered when he bent down. “Few ears are friendly here.”
|
Read the first five chapters... |
17. Godhood Hurts
Desperate inspiration hit Nebbish and he rushed to the altar. He jerked the cassock from the crystal case and tossed the richly brocaded garment on the floor. There it was; the answer to his problems. Inside the case lay the Scepter of Ascendancy. With it he could wield the power of God and crush any opposition--even Lucifer.
The scepter didn't look like a kingly instrument, let alone a godly one. It wasn't adorned with gold and jewels. There was no heraldry or line of succession associated with it. In fact, the scepter Nebbish gazed at so lovingly was nothing more than a twisted stick burnished smooth and black with time. Its simple appearance disguised an enigmatic nature that was equally dark foreboding as it was divine glory. It predated the angels' arrival in Heaven and was supposedly a piece of root broken off the sacred Tree of Life. At the core of its sparkling surface lay the power to create--or destroy--universes with a word.
|
41. The Devil Comes to Party
In the shadowed alleys below, the revelries of the rich played
out in varying degrees of disgust in the eyes of the watchers. As is
always the case with those who assume the mantle of pious superiority,
the Apostles saw depravity where others saw nothing
untoward. Brother Joshua was one of those gifted with holy sight.
He saw through people’s facade of virtuous behavior to the inner
corruption that was their true nature. Not for an instant did he give
in to the Devil’s doubt and believe the sin was a demon of his own
mind. He knew the lechery in his heart was put there by others,
like the aggrieving wench with the low cut gown and sinful eyes.
He was sworn to celibacy, so any temptation to lead him
astray had to be the fault of the wanton succubus within all
women. One only had to look at the five sensuous creatures
stepping out of the silver limousine to know they were evil,
flaunting their iniquitous charms and enticing him to betray his
commitment to purity. Even the Amazon driver holding the door
raised lust in his loins.
It was obvious that such blatant perversion had to be stamped
out before it infected the wills of weaker men. Brother Joshua had
to save the fools from themselves. As if signalling God’s blessing,
opportunity presented itself when the white witch and her servants
went into the den of iniquity and the big woman crossed the street
to a café. Brother Joshua stepped out of hiding and took the saving
of sinners into his own hands—or more accurately, he left
salvation to the sharpness of his knife.
|
65. Lost in a Dream
A filthy fat man was ripping the clothes off a young girl barely
in her teens while his skeletal sidekick egged him on. Without
comprehending how, Mandy knew the language was ancient
Chinese and knew she could speak it fluently. The same must have
happened with the African warrior. Intuition led to insight and
Mandy was sure the shaman warrior was Malaika, Lilith’s chief
bodyguard. Somehow, she was reliving scenes from Lilith’s life.
As soon as the thought impregnated her consciousness,
Mandy recognized the delicate features of Mei-Lin in the struggling
peasant girl. Without thinking, and unsure if she was
charging ahead of her own volition or just along for the ride,
Mandy kicked the fat man’s legs out from under him.
His scrawny helper snarled through diseased teeth and brandished
a rusty knife half the length of his arm. He gasped his last
foul breath a second later when it was sheathed to the hilt in his
gullet by Mandy’s twisting Aikido spin.
Fat Man lay on his back like an overturned turtle waddling
from side to side trying to get up. He never got the chance. Mandy
eviscerated the bastard with her bare clawed hand, then choked
him on his own tripe.
|

PDF
version
|

text
version
|
18. Confession
Mike stared at Emerson and tried to recall a previous instance where he felt a personal grudge toward a criminal. There was none. His detached objectivity was the root of his hunter skill--and the reason he had difficulty relating to colleagues. It was something he shared with Bella; they both saw themselves as standing outside society, observing, but not participating in the common reality.
"If anything has happened to her..."
"Yeah, yeah, you're going to hunt me down and inflict justice on me. You aren't even going to keep me until after lunch. Every minute you waste with me makes it less likely your doctorette is safe and sound. And the best part is you can't prove I took her, planned to take her or even thought of taking the bitch, so shove your vigilante threats..."
Mike had the satisfaction of hearing the breath explode out of Emerson when the edge of the metal table slammed into the priest's ribs.
|
42. Mysterious Depths
Gabriel waited as long as he dared. Nebbish hadn’t come
right back, so it seemed safe to assume he wasn’t just
outside the room giving orders to his guards. He cast a disappointed
glance at the smashed shrine as he passed. It looked like
Michael’s book would keep its secrets blankly obscured.
A cautious peek out the door showed two guards at the far end
of the atrium separating the Sanctum from the halo walkway.
Their position let them keep an eye on both directions. There was
no way to sneak out without being seen.
|
66. Unkind Thoughts
Mike stared at the woman he loved, wondering if she would turn into a horror again. She felt real, but then so had the Bella monster.
As in the dream, Bella was lying on top of him. And just like before, she wiggled higher for a kiss. Unlike the dream, it was Bella’s face that reflected horror as she pushed herself away when his kiss was cold and unfeeling.
The pain in Bella’s eyes was too real to be a dream, so Mike embraced her in a hug that spoke more than words could. He put one hand on the small of her back and pressed her close. He used the other to wipe away her tears.
|
19. Wide-eyed Blind
Although the lady was buried beneath fur and blankets, she had a bone-deep chill Zarefina was unable to warm up. Her injuries should have her burning with fever, not cold and clammy like a corpse. The few drops of healing broth Zarefina managed to dribble between the lady's blue lips were not enough to spark a core warmth. There was only one choice left; the young woman would have to stoke the dying fire with her own body.
She stripped off her clothes and climbed into the narrow bed alongside the caravan wall, turned the lady on her side, and pressed her warm skin against the lady's icy back.
"Merciful Luna," Zarefina gasped. Holding the woman was like hugging snow. Glacial cold nipped at her naked skin as if she had stepped into a mountain stream in the middle of winter. The numbing freeze skipped goosebumps and went straight to frostbite. There was something horribly unnatural about the lady's cold condition.
|
43. A Killer Comes to Dinner
Jury enjoyed the flash of Mandy’s leg as she gave Lilith a
respectful curtsy before the superwomen left to inflict nervousness
elsewhere.
“What was all that about?”
“Girl-talk,” Mandy said with a wink. “Do you feel better now
that you’ve had a close-up look?”
With instinct honed by years of seducing honeys, Jury knew
his evening’s pleasure was in jeopardy. He took Mandy’s hand in
his and kissed it delicately. “You won’t believe this, but I wasn’t
interested in her because she’s pretty.”
“Pretty, Jack?” Mandy gave him a withering look.
“She’s a lot more than that.”
Poor choice of words to begin damage control. Good thing
Bella had given him a lot of lessons in apologizing. He used the
practice to smooth effect until he felt comfortable he’d made sufficient
amends to ensure her naked participation in his pleasure
later. To be on the safe side, he layered on a dose of chocolate-covered
contrition. Too bad his eyes strayed several times to
follow the progress of the radiant white witch.
|
67. Hell Answers the Call
Gabriel pushed away Zi’iel’s hands. “Alright, I’m back, but
you interrupted...”
“Tell me later. I came to let you know that I passed on your
news and a group of hierarchs is going to confront Nebbish and
demand he relinquish the scepter.”
“Good God, Zi, which fool is leading that doomed parade.
Don’t they realize that Nebbish might decide to kill them for no
other reason than disturbing him?”
Zi shrugged, but the concern etched around his eyes showed
he was worried too. “I warned them, but Dedziel told me to mind
my place and not tell hierarchs how to manage the affairs of
Heaven.”
Gabriel groaned and shook his head. Of all the headstrong
hierarchs, Dedziel was the most bull-minded. “Tell Jophiel to sit
on Dedziel. Direct confrontation is...”
“Is on the way. They’re probably facing him right now.”
“God help us then, because every angel that dies cuts the
fabric of reality further and puts all of creation at risk.”
|
20. Bothersome Illusions
He shifted around nervously, unable to find a comfortable position on the scattered heap of papers. "I didn't hear a voice, just the one word," he said as he pushed along the wall until he was lying on an uncluttered part of the ceiling. "After that it feels like I settled in for the show and didn't really think for myself until I was scrambling out with everyone else."
He looked down at Gabriel with an uncommon frown on his usually smiling face. "This isn't good, is it?"
Strange voices haunting an archangel toward madness; unprecedented power unleashed under suspicious circumstances; a life-wrenching force smashing Heaven to its knees; and a repressed angel pushing to attain preeminent power? No, things definitely didn't look good.
|
44. Brimstone Brilliance
The trio of conspirators tensed as silence smothered the snarls
and threats between hierarchs and guards. Zi’iel turned around to
see what Raphael and Gabriel were gaping at.
Nebbish had come out of the Chapel and was standing with
the scepter cradled in his arms. “Why do you children disturb me
with your prattle?” His voice was emotionless, almost soothing.
Everyone urgently rushed not to speak. The creature standing
before them was not one whose attention anyone wanted to attract.
It wasn’t that Nebbish had turned into some sort of slobbering
beast or raving fiend, the opposite in fact. The sensation standing
in celestial glory was a divine fantasy, not hellish nightmare.
Hierarchs and guards all stepped back in awe as an intense nimbus
of red light radiated outward from the transformed angel.
Here was a being Heaven had never
imagined. It was hard to reconcile this creature of sunflame and
starfire with Nebbish. He was a nova that could easily dispel the
darkness in the Assembly Hall by standing alone at center stage.
The brilliance of Heaven’s new regent was even brighter than
Lucifer’s legendary light. Blazing flames adorned him in a
scathing mantle of amber fire and liquid gold boiled in his eyes.
He was beautiful. He was terrifying.
|
68. Pain of the Last
Bella liked being in love, it was new, it was special, it was
something she only now realized was missing from her busy life.
She recalled the firm and tender way Mike pulled her close, his
lips on hers, his need as strong as her desire. She ran her fingertips
lightly over his lips and smiled when he kissed them in his
sleep. That was the true mark of his love for her. Even while he
slept he reacted to her presence. Bella wasn’t sure why her feeling
for him felt so right, but she knew without a doubt that all the love
she felt for Mike was returned with equal selflessness.
If only the moment would never stop. If only they could stay
in bed together and never face the outside world. If only...
She shivered when the vision of Mike’s fiery death put an end
to her fantasy. Warmth touched her heart when he reacted to her
involuntary shudder by tightening his embrace as if even asleep he
was trying to protect her.
|
21. Another Man's Truth
Despite his reservations, Jury’s heart started to pound faster.
Could the priest really prove such a wild accusation? If he could,
then...
“When he was kneeling over me, he whispered his devilish
command in my ear. Fortunately, I had firm control of my faith, so
I could overcome his insidious order.”
“Your word is your proof?” Jury said, disappointed.
“And this?” Emerson said as he raised his unshackled arms
from under the table. “He unlocked my cuffs while he ordered me
to attack you.”
|
45. One Night, Two Passions
Jury stood speechless, trying to decipher what he was hearing.
Was he supposed to follow up on the implied invitation or was it
safer to get far away from the unstable woman?
“Tell you what, Jack. You’ve been a good sport about this—sort of, so let me leave you with something to remember the
evening more fondly.”
For some reason, Jury knew that whatever Mandy had in mind
would be a troubling memory rather than a fond one.
With a deft move and a hip wiggle, Mandy dropped her coat
and shucked out of her dress in one quick move. Standing stark
naked out in the open, she looked at the baffled Lothario and let
out another throaty laugh at his confusion.
Jury knew he had to get away. The woman was insane. First
she said no, then she stripped to the buff. Next she was going to
cry rape. As fast as he could without actually running, he went to
his car, got in, and peeled the tires as he rushed away from the
lunatic situation.
|
69. Dying is a Drag
Whoever Jury was praying to wasn’t listening or maybe they
just didn’t think he was sincere. He almost coughed up his heart
when the elevator dropped several feet and tossed him on his ass
when it abruptly ground to a halt again.
He heard the twang of metal cables stretching past endurance
and the ping of wires snapping. He jumped up on wobbly legs and
tried to pry open the doors. He broke three red-painted fingernails
as he dug in frantically and wedged the doors apart—enough to
see a wall of concrete. He was midway between floors. The escape
attempt became academic when the cables snapped and the
elevator plummeted downward.
|
22. Family Ties, Family Dies
“What hospitality is this?” Tadeush cried. “She is a guest, not
an enemy. For what reason do you order this butchery?”
Lilith put her hand on Tadeush’s shoulder. Zara saw her uncle
shiver from the touch, but he didn’t turn. Anger flushed his face
as relatives continued to encircle him.
“Let there be peace among men,” Lilith said, her voice
drifting through the camp like the melody of an angel. “If I am not
wanted, I will leave. Let no blood be shed on my account.”
“Deceiving witch,” Marko snarled. “Your soft words disguise
your evil only to weak-minded fools. I see beyond your woman’s
guise to your demon-spawned nature. Blood will be shed, but it
will be yours.”
“Enough, Marko!” Tadeush shouted. “What madness addles
your senses? Do you not see the fairness of her who would have
only peace between us?”
“Fool. You are a man in years, but a child in wisdom. No more
chatter. Kill her quickly or we are all lost.”
|
46. Unrighteous Wrath
Gabriel and Raphael watched in awe with the rest of the
hierarchs, in turn marveling and flinching from the Fire
Lord blazing before them. Nebbish was a walking sun; flames
danced along his shoulders, a fire mantle cloaked him, and the
firebrand in his hand glowed like hot coal. More than anything
though, it was the liquid-gold eyes that grabbed their attention.
Never had Heaven seen such a creature. Never had the Tree of
Knowledge given instruction to create such a magnificent being.
It exuded an aura of omnipotence that inspired awe in the
Shepherds and dread in the hierarchs—most of them anyway.
Every group can count at least one fool in its midst; the
hierarchs boasted above average numbers. More than a dozen
stepped forward to prove the adage that no fool is more foolish
than the one who perceives himself as wise.
Why they didn’t heed the warning of their senses, or at least
believe their eyes, Gabriel would never know. But the results were
predictable, even if the fire lord wasn’t.
|
70. Pain of One Another
Bella flung away her keys and slammed the door as she sprinted for the bedroom. She wasn’t sure if her worst fears had been met. Mike was there, but he was lying in bed with his back arched in a rigid pose that hurt her just looking at him.
“Mike, wake up,” she said as she jumped onto the bed beside him. She tried to shake him, but he felt like he was made of stone.
“I’m here, darling. Wake up, please.”
Wherever Mike was, it wasn’t with his body.
|
| |
|
|
|
     |