Into the Void (The Godhunter, Book 10) (3 page)

“
Vervain!”

“
Sorry.”

“
Thank you.” He rolled his eyes. “The woman married one of them but her husband soon became neglectful. His religious following was growing and people were giving him large amounts of energy. He started to focus more on this than his wife.”

“
Are you taking about the Christian God?”

“
Yes, Carus.”

“
What's his name anyway? It's hard to have to define him as the Christian God all the time.”

“
His name is Jerry, now-” Azrael started to continue but I cut him off.

“
What? God's name is Jerry?” I gasped. “Jerry! Are you kidding me? You're messing with me, right? This is a joke.”

“
No, it's short for Jehova.”

“
How is Jerry short for Jehova?” This was better than the time I'd met my first werewolf and found out his name was Kenny. I killed him, had to be done. Someone always kills Kenny.

“
It just is,” Azrael sighed. “See, this is how we get side tracked.”

“
I apologize,” I tried to look properly chastised. “So was the other man your father?”

“
Yes, exactly,” Azrael nodded approvingly.

“
Who was the woman?”

“
Her name was Holly,” he smiled.

“
Holly? Holly like Holly Hobbie? I loved her when I was little.”

“
No, Holly as in the Holy Ghost.”

“
The Holy Ghost is a woman?” I felt my mouth drop open. “What the Hell? Damn it, I would have asked you about your family a long time ago if I knew it would be this interesting.”

“
Yes, it's strange,” he laughed. “But she's my mother.”

“
The Holy Ghost is a woman
and
your mother?” I huffed. “That's freaking
awesome
.”

“
Not so much,” he grimaced. “Mom had an affair with Dad and then Jerry found out because, well, because of me. I was born and Jerry had a fit. I look exactly like my father.”

“
Really?” I looked over his beautiful face. “I've always wondered if more angels had your eyes.”

“
Nope, just me and Dad,” he shrugged. “That's why they called him the Morning Star.”

“
Ahhh, nice,” I nodded. “Starry eyed angels. So what happened then?”

“
Then Jerry got a bunch of his friends to go with him to beat up Dad,” Azrael tipped his head as if considering the intelligence of Jerry's actions. “They showed up at Dad's place but before they could do anything, Dad starts accusing Jerry of neglecting his wife.”

“
Ha!” I stabbed my into the air. “Satan means accuser.”

“
And seducer,” Az waggled his brows at me. “Yes, very observant, that's where the name stemmed from. Now Mom has always been well admired, she had several supporters among the angels Jerry brought with him. When Dad started listing Jerry's faults, a lot of angels switched sides.”

“
No way,” god gossip was the best.

“
Yeah,” Az grinned. “No one liked the idea that Holly was being mistreated.”

“
Why didn't your Mom just leave Jerry?”

“
They'd gone through the Blood to Heart ritual and separating yourself from someone after that is difficult.”

“
Yeah, I remember,” Thor had given me Blood to Mouth, a lesser version of Blood to Heart, meant to grant me his protection. It also came with a link that he could use to speak directly into my mind. It made breaking up with him difficult, so difficult that I couldn't even imagine how hard it might be with a greater bond.

“
So the angels fought and it was bad,” Azrael looked grim. “There's a reason why the war in Heaven made such a big impact on the religion. A lot of angels died and then finally, Dad called a halt to it. He gave up, withdrawing from Heaven and creating his own territory. It shocked the Angelic Host and several more changed sides and went with Dad because they didn't agree with the way Jerry had handled things.”

“
How so?”

“
He gloated, for one,” Azrael made a sour face. “As if he'd truly won by might of arms. He used it to increase his propaganda with the humans and elevate himself while he simultaneously made Dad into a villain. But his worst offense was not wanting to stop the war, even when Dad called for a truce. Dad had to surrender and withdraw, Jerry wouldn't accept anything less. He didn't care how many angels died.”

“
Damn, I just thought he was a wino,” I tried for some levity.

“
If gods could get drunk, he would be,” Az shook his head. “On top of all of that, he made my mother a part of the arrangement. She had to give him a son, just like she'd done for Dad, or he'd continue the war regardless.”

“
Wait... Jesus?”

“
Of course.”

“
So you're Jesus' half-brother.”

“
That's right,” he nodded. “We weren't raised together though, for obvious reasons. Mom did get Jerry to agree that she could visit me if she gave him his son. So at least I was able to know my mother a little.”

“
That's horribly depressing.”

“
I told you it wasn't a happy story.”

“
Your Dad really got the short end of the stick.”

“
Where Mom is concerned, yes,” Azrael shrugged, “but actually, Dad ended up being way more powerful than Jerry. I think it's one of the reasons Jerry drinks so much.”

“
Wait, what?” Christianity was huge, I couldn't understand how Lucifer could have more power than God, I mean Jerry.

“
Think about it,” Azrael looked at me meaningfully. “Who believes in the Christian God?”

“
Is this a trick question?” I asked and Azrael just laughed and shook his head. “ Okay, well Christians then.”

“
Uh huh,” Az smirked, “and who believes in the Devil?”

“
Oh snap,” I laughed. “Everyone. You don't have to be Christian to believe in Satan. He gets blamed for all sorts of stuff.”

“
The Devil made me do it,” Azrael nodded. “Dad has way more followers than Jerry and he gets better sacrifices too. You don't have to be Christian to have a guilty conscience, to think that because you're evil, you're going to Hell. Dad gets people from all faiths and as horrible as it sounds, he still gets human sacrifices too. The energy from most murders get sent his way. Then there's the people who actually worship him. I'm not even going to go into that.”

“
That's rather ironic,” I ignored the fact that Azrael's father benefited from evil deeds, it was too unsettling to think about. “Satan's stronger than Jerry. Man, it's hard to say that name with a straight face.”

“
You're telling me,” Azrael huffed and then grimaced at me when I started laughing. “The strength thing not the name Jerry. Dad laughed for days when it first started happening. Now he doesn't have to do anything, he has demons to run Hell and they just report to him. He stays home and soaks up all the energy, then shares it with his friends.”

“
Kinda like Bill Gates,” I chuckled. “I'm glad for him. Wait, I just thought of something. Jesus wasn't born to save humanity?”

“
Jesus was born to save the angels and his parent's marriage,” Azrael sighed. “It kind of messed him up for awhile. He spent years in the Human Realm, wandering around and smoking hash with humans, but he eventually developed his easy-going attitude.”

“
Smokin' a lot of hashish will do that to you,” I laughed. “I don't think he's given it up either.”

“
No but it can't have that much of an effect on him,” Azrael mused, “what with his god health.”

“
Huh,” I thought about it. “Maybe he just likes acting stoned. Speaking of stoned, what about the crucifixion?”

“
Oh that,” Azrael sighed. “And that was a horrible segue by the way. The crucifixion was one of his friend's ideas. They thought it would be good for his image and since he can't die, he could
rise again
and freak people out. Other gods had done it before, risen from the dead, so Jesus thought it was a good idea. You know, everyone's doing it kind of thing.”

“
No way, so the crucifixion was just a publicity stunt?”

“
I guess you could call it that but you have to remember, this was back when the gods were still doing things like that to get people to worship them. Jesus was a young god and he wasn't going to get any followers by smoking hash, so it seemed like a good plan and you gotta admit, it kinda was.”

“
Yeah, you're right,” I huffed, “the stunt worked.”

“
I was lucky,” Azrael continued. “I didn't have to go make a name for myself. My birth had created a certain amount of notoriety all on its own. Then Dad made me the Angel of Death, ensuring that I would never have a lack of followers. I collect some energy every time I gather a soul, kind of like a toll, and that has kept me very powerful.”

“
I've wondered how you got sacrifices.”

“
Dad really looked out for me.”

“
He sounds kind of cool,” I grinned. “So why has your mother stayed with Jerry for all of these years? I mean besides the Blood to Heart thing. I think I'd risk the difficulty if it meant I didn't have to live with a dickhead anymore.”

“
Well, Mom and Dad have stayed lovers. With Jerry's continued neglect, they've become less cautious about it all and now Mom openly visits Dad in Hell whenever she feels like it.”

“
Then she should just leave Jerry already,” I said before I thought about it. I really have no filter. Then I remembered what a mess that kind of thinking had got me into with Demeter. “But it's none of my business,” I amended.

“
Wow,” Azrael lifted a brow. “I don't believe we've met. My name is Azrael,” he extended his hand to me.

“
Shut up,” I batted it away. “I promised Trevor I'd be more cautious on this quest.”

“
Quest, eh?”

“
Yes, my quest to find Odin.”

“
Right, well how about it,” Az got up and held out a hand to me. “Wanna go to Hell with me and meet the Devil?”

The dragon guarding Hell was a refugee.

At least that's what he told me when I met him. Turns out, the gods gave sanctuary to any dragon who survived the years they were hunted to near extinction by the humans. The same humans who didn't see a distinction between them and my own ancestors, the dragon-sidhe. Both of us were hunted till nearly our entire race was obliterated. The High King of Faerie finally pulled the fey lands back through the Aether to its birth place and closed the borders for good. Or at least until Faerie pulled me through and they decided to open them up again.

“
According to myth, I'm supposed to eat the bodies of those who have spent their lives in evil,” Salem the dragon said, making the dragon version of a moue of distaste.

I know, right? Salem the dragon? Turns out, Salem, taken from the Hebrew Shalem and also from the Arabic Salim, means peace. It kind of made an odd sort of sense to name a dragon peace. I mean, if a dragon wants peace, you should probably count yourself lucky and give it to him.

“You don't like the taste of humans?” I asked, looking over his beautiful emerald scales with the appreciation only a fellow dragon could understand.

“
Nah, not with all the crap they eat these days,” Salem shook his head. “It's gross.”

“
And I decided I didn't want a corner of Shehaquim to be set aside for torturing evil souls who dishonor god,” Azrael interjected. “What do I care if people want to dishonor Jerry?”

“
No kidding,” Salem agreed. “So, sister I heard about your triple trinity aspects, congratulations.”

“
Thank you,” I shot a look at Az. Did he tell everyone in Heaven?

“
I haven't seen another dragon in four-hundred years,” Salem mused. “And then it was only the boss in his dragon guise.”

“
Lucifer is a dragon?” I turned to look at Azrael in shock.

“
No,” Az shook his head, “he's a shapeshifter who can become a dragon because that what humans believe.”

“
Like I said,” Salem looked pointedly at me, “it's been awhile.”

“
Did you want me to shift?” I glanced at Az and he seemed fascinated by the thought. “Maybe take a few laps around Heaven?”

“
That would be amazing,”Salem looked over at Az.

“
Go ahead,” he shrugged, “I'm not in a rush.”

Since there was only Azrael and Salem there(evidently the gate to Hell through Shehaquim was one only Azrael used to deliver souls, so there wasn't any traffic, as it were), I just pulled off my blue cotton dress and underwear. Azrael had already seen it all and I was pretty sure Salem didn't care about my goodies. I shifted to dragon form, the fey magic running through my body in a tingling rush as my dragon came roaring up in delight.

I stood before them in my dragon form and let them look their fill. I couldn't help it, we dragons are prideful creatures. Also, it was the first time Azrael had seen me as a dragon and I wanted him to know all of my different aspects. He seemed fairly happy  but not as happy as Salem. The green dragon jumped up and down, like a four-year-old on Christmas morning.

“
You look fantastic!” He said and ran a claw over my gold scales.

“
Hey now,” Azrael spread his wings with a snap. “Claws off my woman.”

“
Oh, sorry,” Salem chuckled. “I got a little carried away.”

“
Shall we?” I nodded toward the sky before gathering power in my haunches and launching myself upward.

Azrael and Salem followed and I realized that this would be the first time I'd flown with Azrael without him carrying me. I roared in delight, happy to share this freedom with my lover and another dragon. Salem echoed me and we dove together, swirling around each other in a happy dragon dance. We pulled up before we reached the ground and went soaring back up to Azrael, screeching with pleasure as the wind cooled our scales. Azrael laughed at us and flew in and out of our path like a little bird. It was wonderful and I let it go on way too long.

Heads popped out of the houses that lined the open plain between the gate of Hell and the Garden of Eden. Then the angels came out to watch us, two dragons and the Angel of Death playing leap frog in the sky of Heaven. Not something you see everyday I guess and I didn't mind them watching, as long as they didn't try to stab us with any of those holy spears.

Finally, it was Azrael who suggested we head back. Salem and I reluctantly followed, landing in front of the gate to Hell with heavy thuds. I pulled my dragon in and condensed myself back to human size. Azrael handed me my clothes, smiling at me.

“You make a beautiful dragon,” Az said as he zipped up my dress. “But I prefer you like this.”

“
Wait till you see my half-form,” I grinned wickedly at him. “We could fly together again and maybe a little more.”

“
Now that's something I'd like to see,” he shared a secret look with me and then turned toward the dragon. “Salem, we must be going now but we'll see you once more on our way out.”

“
Thank you for bringing her,” Salem nodded to Az. “It was the most fun I've had in centuries.”

“
Maybe you could get some time off,” I suggested. “There's someone in Faerie I'd like to introduce you to.”

“
Faerie?” Salem perked up. “I could go to the Faerie Realm.”

“
If your boss doesn't mind,” I glanced at Az.

“
Do you think he'd agree?” Salem looked at Azrael hopefully.

“
I don't see why not,” Azrael shrugged. “It's not like you haven't earned it.”

“
Woohoo!” Salem did another jump. “I'm going to Faerie!”

“
I can't travel with you,” I held up my hand, “because I use this ring to go back to the time I last left but you can go anytime you wish and I'll be waiting for you there. By the time you go, I'll already have returned and know about your visit. I'm always there.”

“
And always here,” Azrael laughed. “Faerie magic is pretty nifty.”

“
A time bender, eh?” Salem eyed the ring. “Very awesome. I'll go see you as soon as I get the okay.”

“
Well then, I'll see you soon,” I laughed as I followed the Angel of Death into Hell.