Middle Demons (Angels and Demons Book 2) (12 page)

CHAPTER 23

Leech closed his eyes and waited for death. Seconds passed and no sting of pain came. As he opened his eyes and looked up, he saw Gangrene wielding his spear. The demons that were closing in on him had fallen to the ground with seared and melting faces. He continued to swing his spear in a wide arc, causing Naamah’s army to keep their distance.

“Mind getting up and giving me a hand, boss?”

Leech reached into the sand and found his guns. He returned them to their holsters and pulled his axe from his back. After he got back on his feet, he was able to stumble a couple of steps before he fell again and dropped his weapon.

“I have strength enough for the both of us. Take what you need to reach them.”

Leech held up his arm in Gangrene’s direction and drew from his strength. Gangrene winced as some of his strength left him.

“Go get the rest of it from them, you greedy asshole!”

“That’s Lord greedy asshole to you!”

Leech was able to return to his feet and lift his axe from the sand. He ran towards the closest demons of Naamah’s army and sucked in their strength. He drank it in deeply and then brought down his axe in sweeping arcs, killing his enemies off in small waves. As he continued to draw in strength with his parasitic touch, he became like an unstoppable, steroid-infused monster.

Lilith and Raven joined in attacking with their whips, but they stayed behind Leech and Gangrene, whose weapons were able to keep the army back. When the strength of the four demons began to fail, Leech’s army joined the fray and killed the remnants of Naamah’s army as they fled before Leech’s parasitic touch and Gangrene’s spear.

As the few remaining stragglers of Naamah’s army were hunted down and destroyed, Leech called his army to gather around him.

“Naamah is no more! Her army has been slain!”

Cheers erupted from what remained of Leech’s army.

“We have demolished two armies of Vixen’s troops and killed the two middle demons in command. If we’re to march to Vixen’s palace and take down the middle demon tasked with guarding Vixen’s realm, we need to stand united.

“Lord Shadow has not yet returned. We need to consider the possibility that he never will. We can’t take on army after army when we are divided. So here’s what we’re going to do. I will assume command of both Gangrene’s demons and my own cavalry. Gangrene will become my lieutenant and will command this army should I fall in battle or if I’m captured. Anyone who has a problem with that will be put to death. We can’t fight on without a chain of command and with different agendas.”

After some brief murmuring, one of Leech’s cavalry spoke up.

“General Baal gave you an army to command. While I didn’t necessarily respect you or think you an able commander, I followed General Baal’s orders. This is where I draw the line,
Lord
Leech. I will not be given commands by a lowly minor demon like Gangrene who comes from the dregs of Hell.”

Leech nodded in the demon’s direction and two demons started in his direction to kill him.

“Don’t bother. I’ll take my own life.”

The horsemen pulled a dagger from his belt and slit his own throat. Blood rushed down his chest armor and he fell off his horse to dye the sands black. Many other demons in Leech’s cavalry nodded in agreement with what their fallen comrade had expressed and removed their own weapons to deal death in the face of what Leech had proposed as the new chain of command. Once the mass suicide of Leech’s cavalry had finished, a demon from Gangrene’s army spoke up.

“We serve under Gangrene, the rightly appointed commander of nearly half of Lord Shadow’s forces. The same Lord Shadow who took first in the trials and who wields the scythes of both Cain and Asmodeus. He cannot be killed and he may be the most powerful demon in Hell. I have no intention of transferring to the department of idolatry to serve under a middle demon that I have seen broken, beaten, and defeated by Nightmare and others. If the choice is serving under you or death, I choose death.”

Leech and Gangrene looked on as hundreds more removed their weapons and killed themselves. Gangrene looked judgmentally over at Leech.

“Why did you do that? Our deal had conditions, Leech…”

“The fighting in our ranks was going to get one of us killed. We can’t take on another army with demons who don’t trust their commanders.”

“And you didn’t see the need to discuss it with me? I just rushed in here and saved your ass. I’m seriously wondering if I should just take what remains of my army and leave. Maybe it was wrong to agree to help you. I should be looking for Lord Shadow…”

“Gangrene, Shadow would want you to stay here and help me. If he’s alive, he’s going to appreciate the overthrow of Vixen’s armies when he returns. He can’t take on Vixen, Lucian, and Astaroth on his own.”

“Well it’s going to be pretty difficult to take down any more of Vixen’s armies now that half of what was left of our army has committed suicide.”

“Calm down drama queen. It wasn’t half.”

“Want me to have them counted? It was damn near close to half.”

“So maybe we lost half of an army but we kept the half that we can trust. Doesn’t it alarm you that half of the demons under our command would rather die than answer to one of us?”

“I’ve had enough of this, Leech. I’m going back to my tent to think about whether I’ll be staying or going after Lord Shadow. You’ll have my answer within a day.”

Gangrene turned and walked off. Lilith walked up to Leech and rested her head on his shoulder. Raven slowly led Lilith’s horse up to her and handed her the reins.

“I made sure she stayed alive. I’ll go try to convince Gangrene to stay. It’s the least I can do after my… nature… got me in trouble with the two of you.”

Lilith took the reins from her half-sister and nodded. Raven turned and walked towards Gangrene’s tent. Lilith removed a brush from her bag and began brushing Keshi’s hair.

“So you’re ok with her now?”

“No. I’m not. Look at the condition my horse is in. She needs a bath like right now and I’m going to have a hell of a time getting the knots out of her hair.”

“Not what I meant, babe. I mean for what she tried to do earlier. What she tried to do to me…”

“I understand her instincts. She realizes that she made a mistake so I’m not going to hold it over her forever. I’ll definitely mess with her for a while though because that sounds like it could be fun. I don’t get to take advantage of guilt very often.”

“Oh gotcha. So you’re ok with your sister trying to jump me.”

“If you’re going to be an ass, Leech, she can have you. Don’t try to come back to me afterwards though.”

Leech grinned.

“I was just kidding. I’m just not used to seeing you be this mature.”

“She’s family. I never really had much of one growing up so if I can have a sister for the price of an occasional mistake, I’ll take it. I have a much higher tolerance when it comes to mistakes from my boyfriend. He screws up all the time.”

“Yeah he does. You’ll never get rid of him though.”

“What makes you think that?”

“He’s a leech. Once he’s got you, he doesn’t let go.”

Lilith giggled and finished brushing Keshi’s mane.

CHAPTER 24

“I figured it out.”

Shadow looked at Azazel like he was insane.

“Where the fuck did you come from? You disappeared as soon as the harpies and dogs attacked. Were you following us?”

“I couldn’t follow you into the presence of Queen Persephone. The sirens wouldn’t take me. Something about me wanting to bang one of them a long time ago. I figured you would eventually make it down here to the ninth circle. It took you guys long enough. What did the witch queen want from you?”

“That’s none of your business and, as far as I’m concerned, this conversation is over. We don’t need your help and I don’t want you around.”

“But… I figured it out.”

Shadow pushed past Azazel but Muan turned from a white wolf back into his demon form.

“What did you figure out?”

“Holy fuck little guy! When did you learn to shape shift?”

“Sounds like Shadow’s right. You’re useless. You can’t even answer a direct goddamn question.”

Muan started walking away. Azazel disappeared in a puff of red smoke and appeared in front of Shadow and Leech. Shadow allowed a smile to creep across his face.

“Well that answers one question. Now I know how you got away from the tormentors of the seventh circle.”

“Yes, I can transport myself almost anywhere. It’s roughly the same power that the major demons use.”

“
Almost
anywhere?”

“I can’t teleport into the highest of heavens or the lowest of hells. I had to walk here from the exit of the eighth circle. You really seem interested in teleportation for someone who was eager to walk away a few moments ago.”

“I’m interested in power. I’ll bite though. What did you figure out?”

Azazel ran his hand over the two curved horns protruding from his head.

“The scythe problem we were discussing. I can definitely fuse them together and I know how to make one of them disappear so it looks like a single scythe.”

“How do we do that?”

“Once fused, we coat one of the scythes in your blood. You have the power to disappear. I can incorporate that power into your weapon.”

“And where do you plan to fuse the weapons together? This isn’t exactly an ideal location for a master blacksmith to work.”

Azazel placed a hand on Shadow’s shoulder and his other hand on Muan’s. They disappeared in red smoke and reappeared in a forge. Muan blinked several times.

“Where are we?”

“I’ve taken you to my workshop, little demon. Shadow, I’ll need you to place the scythes on the table and I’ll get started.”

Shadow removed the scythes from his belt and placed them on the table. Azazel grabbed one of Shadow’s arms and pierced it with a glowing dagger. Muan reacted immediately and shot a dart at Azazel’s face. Azazel blinked and the dart disappeared. A split second later, the dart reappeared submerged in the floor. Azazel turned Shadow’s arm and let his blood drip into a vial.

“Don’t bother threatening me, Shadow. I told you I needed your blood for this to work.”

“It’s fine. Quick question though.”

“Yes?”

“Do you know how to do
anything
without being an asshole?”

Azazel chuckled.

“No. No I don’t.”

Azazel snapped his fingers and a young, demon-like creature appeared in the room. It had horns and sharp teeth, but Shadow recognized it as a nephilim, its glowing white eyes betraying its powers.

“Scapegoat, show my guests into the waiting room. Before Shadow protests, might I remind you that I could have simply taken these scythes from you if I wanted them for myself. This is literally the nicest I know how to play with others, so don’t push me.”

“Just hurry the fuck up. I need to become a major demon and make my way back to where the other major demons are battling so I can end all of this.”

The nephilim Scapegoat escorted Shadow and Muan into the next room.

“Can I get either of you anything? Some beverages perhaps?”

“I’ll take a beverage. Muan?”

“I’ll take one too.”

Scapegoat bowed and left the room. He returned a few minutes later with two mugs filled to the brim with a dark liquid.

“I opened a bottle of 1982 serial killer. It’s not every day that we have a legendary warrior visit Azazel’s workshop.”

Muan waved off the compliment as if it was meant for him.

“It’s alright, Scapegoat. I’m just a demon. You don’t have to think of me as a legend.”

“I was referring to Lord Shadow, little creature.”

Muan frowned and sipped his drink. Shadow chuckled.

“Is there anything else I can get for you, Lord Shadow?”

“No. I’m good. Just one question. Why are you here serving Azazel?”

“You’ve probably surmised that I’m a nephilim. I’m not a powerful nephilim like you or Master Azazel, but being an angel / demon hybrid makes it difficult to fit in with either side. I was first rejected by the demons of Hell and the angels of Heaven wouldn’t even let me enter their realm. I ultimately ended up a wanderer on Earth, stealing souls from both the angels and demons when I could. I couldn’t overpower middle demons or middle angels, but I could steal the kills of minor demons and minor angels easily enough. One day, I tried to steal a human soul from Master Azazel. When he discovered it, I thought he would kill me. In the moment before he struck me down with his blade, my eyes glowed white and he realized that I was of the same species that he was. Instead of killing me, he took me on as his apprentice. I’m not a master blacksmith or a sorcerer or anything that he is, but I’m learning. Until I become powerful, I’m grateful to be serving here.”

Muan looked like Scapegoat’s story bothered him.

“So you do whatever the more powerful nephilim say? You don’t question it ever?”

“I have grown more powerful under Master Azazel’s tutelage. I have much more to learn from him. Who else in the heavens or hells could join two major demon weapons together and conceal it from the Dragon?”

“So he’s always right? You never disagree with him?”

“Why should I? I like the path that I’ve chosen.”

Shadow could see that Muan’s temper was starting to flare. He asked Scapegoat to leave the room and the nephilim did, bowing at Shadow before he left.

“What’s bothering you, Muan?”

“That guy doesn’t think for himself. It’s annoying.”

“You were exactly like him when I first found you. You bowed and answered powerful demons with excessive respect. You fought anyone who disturbed your world view of the way things should be. You didn’t think for yourself.”

“Oh right. Shadow the damned philosopher who thinks he knows everything. I’m nothing like that guy.”

“That’s right. You’re nothing like him
now
. Leech, a demon born without nobility, kicked your ass. You turned around and helped him attack other demons. Once I gained power, I gave you the freedom to recruit demons and go out into the world yourself. You learned that things didn’t follow the order or structure that you had always assumed was in place. You became confident and strong. Other demons learned to respect you because you finally respected yourself. If you hadn’t diverted from the path you were on, you would still be a messenger and a demon-in-training.”

Muan opened his mouth to respond but closed it again. He thought on Shadow’s words for a few more minutes before he finally said what he wanted to.

“I guess you’re right. That’s what bothers me about Scapegoat. He has all kinds of untapped potential and he’s going to acquire his powers very slowly because he relies on Azazel. He relies
solely
on Azazel. He won’t rely on his own abilities or ask for more freedom. It’s not disrespectful to want to be more. He can still call Azazel his master and serve him, it just bothers me that he’s…”

Muan left his sentence unfinished, but Shadow understood what he was getting at.

“That’s not you anymore, Muan. If it was, you simply would have bowed in front of my grandmother and stayed silent. You didn’t. You opened your goddamn mouth in front of the Queen of Hell… and it paid off. You left with a power that few in Hell have ever acquired. Don’t doubt yourself because I’m going to need you to rebuild the army we lost.”

“Why? Why did you help me, Shadow?”

“You’re loyalty is unquestionable. Beyond that, I saw untapped potential in both you and Gangrene. Before the two of you, I saw it in Leech and Lilith. If I’m going to assault the heavens, the hells, or anywhere in between, I need demons around me that are loyal and powerful. The only difference between me and other demons currently in power is that I have a wider gaze when I look for potential. Now cut Scapegoat some slack. Not everyone gets handed the opportunity I gave you. What he has here is better than being a hungry thief on Earth.”

“Well I know one thing for sure.”

“What’s that?”

“The next army I recruit needs to be at least three times as strong as the one we just lost. I won’t be defeated by Lucian’s legions ever again.”

“Let’s hope not. I would hate to demote you back to be my messenger monkey.”

Muan grinned. Several hours later, Scapegoat entered the room and bowed.

“Master Azazel would like to speak with you. The weapon is ready.”