Middle Demons (Angels and Demons Book 2) (21 page)

CHAPTER 41

When Jess and Aim arrived with Murmur’s armies, Leech explained the situation and they all started towards the last know battle site of Baal and Astaroth. They arrived just in time to see Baal get stabbed by Vixen’s scythe. Leech was in shock, but he recovered some hope that Baal would be ok as he watched him decapitate Vixen. Leech rushed in and caught Baal as he fell over backwards. He caught him and helped him gently to the ground.

“Muan get over here! Heal him!”

Muan approached, looked at the wound, and then put his hand on Leech’s shoulder. He shook his head; it was obvious that nothing could be done. Leech knocked his hand off of his shoulder.

“Don’t shake your head at me! Do something to save him!”

“I can’t heal this, Leech! The wound is too deep! It’s fatal…”

Leech stood, pulled one of his guns, and aimed it at Muan’s head.

“Try. You don’t know what you can do until you try.”

“Leech, I…”

“Try you stupid motherfucker! Don’t just stand there and let him die!”

Muan was frozen in horror. He didn’t know what to do. Lilith walked up to Leech and gently forced his arm down. He reholstered his gun and two noiseless tears rolled down his face. He didn’t sob or cry, but he refused to accept what was going to happen.

“He’s trying to talk to you, Leech. See what he wants to say.”

Leech got down on his knees so he could hear Baal’s final words.

“It’s time you know who you are, Leech. I didn’t take you under my wing out of benevolence. It was self-interest.”

“That doesn’t make any…”

“We had a talk about interrupting me!”

Baal’s sudden outburst caused a torrent of bloody coughing. He turned his head and spit blood onto the ground.

“Sorry. I won’t interrupt again.”

“Your father, Malcontent, was offered a minor demon position in my department after the trials. He turned it down and became a demon-in-training working for Cain. He said he wanted to earn his own place. I saw it as a betrayal because Malcontent…”

Baal started coughing again.

“…Malcontent was my son. We didn’t speak much after he went to work for Cain. I made a request to the Dragon that he be promoted to a middle demon in charge of training and the Dragon granted the request. I didn’t tell him that I had done it and I generally continued to ignore his existence. When I made you an offer after the trials, I asked Malcontent to stay out of it and let you choose for yourself. He agreed but he never told you who you are.”

Leech put his hand on Baal’s shoulder and tried hard not to cry. He failed.

“I’m your grandson.”

“Yup. You’re my grandson. Malcontent rejected his right to rule a long time ago, but it would still be proper…”

Baal struggled to lift his scythe towards Leech. Leech took it from his hand.

“…if you took my place. You’ve earned it, Leech.”

“Don’t say that. We can still… make you better…”

Baal smiled.

“My time is over. Stick with your friends. If I had been as close to my siblings as you are to Shadow and Lilith, I wouldn’t be feeling my life slip away in a puddle of my own blood. I wouldn’t have decapitated my sister.”

Leech wiped his tears and hardened his face. He knew the last question he needed to ask had the potential to break his heart.

“Did you betray Abaddon? Did you sell him out to the Dragon and accuse him of treason?”

“No. That was Cain plotting with Lucian. I had nothing to do with it. Lucian convinced Vixen that I played a part, but I didn’t. I didn’t get along great with the guy and I didn’t understand his interest in angelic artifacts… but he was my brother…”

Shadow crouched down next to Baal.

“I believe you.”

Baal grinned up at him.

“My grandson and my nephew. Where’s Lilith?”

Lilith kneeled down next to him as well. She smiled down at him.

“And my beautiful niece. I want to die as I should have lived… at peace with my family.”

Leech and Lilith let loose a torrent of tears and Lilith fell into Leech’s arms. Shadow remained resolute.

“Uncle, is there anything you would have us do after you pass on?”

“Just one thing. Slay the Dragon, Shadow. He’s holding my mother prisoner and I want him… dead…”

Baal’s eyes rolled back in his eyes and he exhaled his last breath. Nightmare stood from his seat and started laughing and clapping.

“Oh very dramatic. What a death scene!”

Leech tightened his grip on Baal’s scythe and ran at Nightmare. Murmur cut him off and knocked him back hard with Dragonscale.

“We need to be smart about this and not let our emotions get control of us. It would be pretty stupid to start a war right after we finished this one.”

Nightmare mockingly put his hand over his heart.

“Very touching, Murmur… but don’t pretend you don’t want to kill me just as badly as the little runt there.”

Astaroth pulled Nightmare aside and whispered to him in harsh tones.

“Stop pissing them off! The balance of power has shifted. Assuming Lilith takes her mother’s scythe… Those four get along. We can’t fight them off. My armies have taken too much of a beating as it is.”

Astaroth turned to Shadow.

“I conditionally surrender. I honored the alliances made by my predecessor but I have no personal interest in this war. Allow me to walk away with what’s left of my armies and the victory is yours.”

Shadow looked confused.

“That’s not what you said when you were a newly promoted major demon. You told me you had a personal stake in this war.”

“Baal’s death confirmed something I had been beginning to suspect. Cain betrayed you just as much as he pissed me off by killing my son. Venom was avenged with Cain’s death and I’m willing to let it end there.”

Nightmare looked angry.

“So… what? We just go back to business as usual and pretend nothing ever happened?”

Shadow tightened his grip on Damnation in case Nightmare lost his cool, but nodded in response.

“We wait until new major demons are appointed to replace Baal and Vixen. We can meet and figure everything out at Dagon’s in a week. Unless you want to try to take my scythe away so Azazel can take both scythes from
your
corpse.”

For a moment, Shadow thought Nightmare was going to attack him. He was breathing heavily and he definitely looked angry. His response surprised everyone.

“I’ll see you all in a week then.”

CHAPTER 42

The new Six met at Dagon’s in the VIP room upstairs exactly one week from the death of Baal and Vixen. Leech and Lilith had taken the scythes of Baal and Vixen and both had been named major demons by the Dragon. When they were all seated at the large circular table, Nightmare spoke first.

“I object to Lilith being here.”

Lilith immediately became defensive.

“I object to a department of fighters based on lies and temper tantrums. It’s not your call who sits here. We’re all major demons.”

“Major demons of what though? How many succubi and incubi remain in the department of lust?”

“Raven and I are rebuilding. We have maybe three hundred right now.”

“An entire department consisting of three hundred demons? I have minor demons that command larger forces.”

“I could kill you and take them from you if you’d prefer.”

“Feisty little bitch… just like your mom. I’ll take you on any time.”

Murmur cut in.

“This isn’t productive. We have a number of things we need to work through. If the Dragon wanted the department of lust disbanded, he would have disbanded it. Instead of doing that, he chose Lilith to rebuild the department.”

“Thanks for the interruption, Murmur. That brings me to my second point. I object to Murmur being here.”

Murmur laughed.

“This should be good. Let’s hear it.”

“Murmur is basically still a minor demon. Hell… he was a demon-in-training in my department a few months ago. He’s only here because he killed Tannin and Belial, the two demons with an
actual
claim to the department of jealousy. No one else at this table rose to power by killing their predecessor.”

“So Tannin and Belial had legitimate claims… even though the two of them killed Leviathan?”

“Astaroth killed Leviathan.”

“Her poison wasn’t quick enough. I was there. Tannin and Belial went into Leviathan’s tent and killed him. Someone was going to rise to the major demon position through murder no matter what. I just proved to be the most strong and cunning. You know that from experience. I handed you a good ass kicking in the trials.”

Nightmare grinned.

“Remind me again who won that fight?”

Leech sighed with annoyance.

“I object to Nightmare being here.”

“Why?”

“Because I fucking don’t like you!”

Everyone laughed but Nightmare. When everyone quieted down, Shadow took control of the meeting.

“There’s no point in complaining about who is here. We’re all major demons and we have things that we need to discuss. The first thing we need to talk about is Azazel. Nightmare, what do you think we should do about that?”

Nightmare chuckled.

“Are you worried I’m going to attack you and take away your scythe? I’m not an idiot, Shadow. Azazel is a weapon collector. He wants to see which weapon is more powerful and then take them both back. I’m not going to kill you for Azazel’s benefit. He can take your weapon back himself if he wants to.”

“What exactly
do
you want then? I thought proving to the Dragon that I have two scythes would free your father. I thought you wanted to turn me in and hand the department back over to your father.”

“Fine. Let’s clear some things up so you all stop shaking in your boots about what scary Nightmare is going to do. First, I hate my father. He beat me to within an inch of my life after I came in second in the trials. If it was a fair fight, I could have kicked his ass but he had his scythe. Now that I have his scythe, I will never give it back to him.”

“But you’ve said…”

“Shut up. I’m not done. Just because I want my father out of the way, doesn’t mean I couldn’t
pretend
that I was motivated by keeping him in power. It’s believable and it plays to my strengths… it’s a lie. When the Dragon called all the scythes to him and counted six, he still wasn’t convinced that Shadow wasn’t lying. I went down there myself and confirmed that you only had a single scythe. All I had to do after that was act surprised and angry when they hauled that asshole down there to be tortured. To answer your question, I want to kill my father myself. Now that I have his scythe fused with the berserker staff, it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Wow you’re…”

“What… a jerk? An asshole?”

“A lot more clever than we ever gave you credit for.”

Nightmare thought for a moment about how he should respond to Shadow’s compliment.

“Thanks, I guess.”

“So that’s a no on Shadow vs. Nightmare round 2. Good. Next item of business. My father is still being tortured in the lowest circle of Hell. Muan’s father is down there too. I plan on freeing them both and I’ll kill the Dragon if I have to. I would like all five of you to go with me. Leech?”

“I’m in. Baal’s final wish was that we kill the Dragon. I’m going to be there for that.”

“Lilith?”

“I’m in too. I go where the two of you go. Raven can run things for me while we’re down there.”

“Murmur?”

“I don’t know, bro. A lot has changed since we were just training and dreaming about the day we would become major demons. My department is in shambles. I don’t know that I can go with you.”

“For my plan to work, I need all five of you.”

“What’s your plan?”

“I won’t tell you unless you’re in.”

“Then move on and come back to me. I want to hear what Nightmare and Astaroth say.”

“Nightmare?”

“I’m in.”

Leech and Lilith looked shocked but Shadow nodded that he understood. Nightmare wanted vengeance against his father the same way Shadow wished he could have been the one to kill his uncle, now that he knew the truth. Leech was still unwilling to accept Nightmare’s story.

“Are you sure you really need him, Shadow? I don’t trust him.”

“You don’t need to trust me, asshole. You aren’t calling the shots here. I want to hear Shadow’s plan to put me in a position to kill my father. I’m in.”

“That’s four. I need all six of us. Astaroth?”

Astaroth remained silent, choosing her words carefully before speaking.

“I understand that the peace between the six of us is an uneasy one. I don’t understand why you won’t just tell us your plan before we answer you. I would love to see the Dragon fall one day. I’d be willing for it to be right now, if you would tell us your plan in advance.”

“The problem with that is that once I tell you my plan, you could run off to the Dragon and turn me in for treason.”

“I could do that right now.”

“You have no evidence right now. One I tell you my plan, you would know exactly what I planned to use to bring him down and I don’t know that I could dispose of the item fast enough since both you and Murmur are able to teleport with your scythes. I need all six of us to be in agreement for this to work.”

Murmur tossed his scythe and Dragonscale on the table.

“A compromise then. Take our scythes so we can’t teleport. If we don’t agree to your plan, you can hold our scythes until you have a chance to dispose of the evidence of your plan. Then we can’t rat you out. Not that I would anyways… but I see your point.”

Shadow looked at Astaroth. She tossed her scythe on the table as well.

“Fine. Agreed. I want to hear this. If you try to kill us while we don’t have our scythes, you will regret it. Not all of my power comes from that weapon. Actually…”

Astaroth put her hand back on her scythe.

“We should all surrender our weapons. I don’t like how vulnerable it leaves me to sit here without my scythe. Murmur shouldn’t have to be without his either unless we all are. All of us should lock up our scythes and then we discuss this plan without the threat of death hanging over any of us.”

“Fine. Murmur can collect them all and store them in that chest over there.”

Murmur grabbed the chest and set it on the table. Everyone but Nightmare put their scythes on the table and Murmur collected them. Nightmare gripped Rage tightly with both hands.

“I don’t like this. I don’t trust any of you.”

Leech hit the table loudly.

“Just give Murmur the damn weapon. We aren’t here to kill each other and I’m sure as hell not going to sit in a room where only Nightmare has a scythe.”

Nightmare grumbled but realized it was the only way to move things forward. He reluctantly tossed his scythe in the chest. Murmur shut the chest and locked it. He placed the key in the middle of the table.

“Alright let’s hear it.”

Shadow put a ring on the table.

“I won’t tell you how or where I got this but it’s a legion ring. My plan is simple. We use the legion ring to combine the six of us into an all-powerful demon and we attack the Dragon head on.”

Nightmare laughed.

“Legion ring? Wow. I thought you had a real plan. This is bullshit. Give me my scythe back.”

“It works. I’ve tested it.”

“So your plan is to combine the six of us into one creature using a ring with imaginary powers? You’re nuts, Shadow. I gave you a shot, but this is bullshit.”

Murmur looked skeptically at Shadow.

“I… I didn’t know those really existed.”

Shadow removed his gauntlet, put the ring on, and then walked over to Leech and Lilith. He touched them both on the shoulder. They immediately disappeared. Nightmare stopped laughing.

“We are Legion, with the powers of the major demons Shadow, Leech, and Lilith. We imagine you three idiots would like a demonstration.”