Middle Demons (Angels and Demons Book 2) (5 page)

CHAPTER 9

“Muan, stay here. I’ll take care of this.”

“I don’t think so, boss. I’m going to die with you.”

“Neither of us is going to die.”

“Lord Shadow, there are hundreds of them left.”

“I can kill hundreds. I just need you to stay here.”

“I came here to back you up. That doesn’t mean when your army is gone that I sit on my ass. I’m going with you.”

Muan removed the bone daggers from his belt and started marching toward the demons entering the seventh circle of Hell.

“It’s too late for you to stay here now. Run to the centaurs and stay with them until I’m done. This is the last time I’m going to ask you, Muan.”

Muan shook his head. Shadow’s eyes changed from red to white. He removed his right gauntlet and touched Muan’s forehead. Ice started spreading down Muan’s face. Muan’s expression changed to one of panic and then to one of betrayal as the ice engulfed him. Shadow shook his head sadly at the little creature and then placed his gauntlet back on his hand as his eyes turned back to their natural red. When Shadow drew the scythes from his belt, he was already surrounded.

“I know all of you were just following orders so I’m going to let all of you turn around and walk away. I’ve already killed Ose and I have no problem with butchering the rest of you.”

The assassins looked at one another as if to confirm that they should stay. None of them turned to leave. They believed their sheer numbers would be enough to overpower Shadow.

“I warned you.”

As they all moved in to attack, Shadow disappeared. He reappeared several seconds later and sliced several demons at the back of their ranks in half with his scythes. As they figured out what was going on and turned to attack him again, his eyes glowed white and he started flinging razor sharp icicles from his scythes at anyone who approached. Dozens of demons fell to the floor, impaled with icicles. Shadow took the opportunity to disappear again.

By this point, some of the demons had turned and fled back to the sixth circle of Hell. The remainder were becoming increasingly difficult to kill even with Shadow’s powers. He eventually arrived at a point where it took most of his strength to swing his scythes and maintain invisibility. The dozen remaining demons closed in for the kill. Several weapons were swung at Shadow, each with a good chance at a kill shot.

“Wait!”

The voice had come from behind them. When the demons looked, they saw Ose.

“Our orders have changed. General Lucian’s army has been ambushed and they need reinforcements.”

One of the demons ventured a question.

“Shouldn’t we kill Shadow first?”

“No. We need to go right now.”

“Lord Ose, it will just take a few seconds. I’ll take care of…”

As the demon turned to face Shadow, Shadow cut off his head. The last thing he saw was the remaining eleven, frozen in ice. Shadow had won. He dropped both of his scythes, fell to one knee, and attempted to catch his breath. He heard a slow clapping noise from behind him.

“Impressive. I really liked the part where you tricked them into thinking Ose was still alive. They were kind of stupid. You had just told them that you killed Ose.”

Shadow slowly moved his hand back towards one of his scythes and gripped it. He spun quickly and swung it with all of the strength he had left. The red demon caught it and pulled it from his hand. He looked at his reflection in the blade and ran his hand back along his curved horns.

“That’s no way to treat your own kind, Shadow.”

“What are you talking about?”

The demon looked over at the frozen Muan.

“Can he hear us?”

“I doubt it. He’s frozen in a block of ice.”

“Good. I just don’t want to reveal what you are. It makes things… complicated.”

“So you’re… one of them? A nephilim like Hypnos and Thanatos?”

The demon laughed.

“Yes and no. Yes, I’m a nephilim. No, I’m not like Hypnos and Thanatos. They’re very young. I’ve been around for a
very
long time.”

During this exchange, Shadow had been reaching for his other scythe. He had it in his hand.

“Give me my scythe back.”

“Are you going to try to slice me with it?”

“That depends. Tell me who you are and what the hell you’re doing here and maybe I won’t.”

The nephilim handed Shadow his scythe and Shadow attached it to his belt with the other one.

“My name is Azazel. For a long time I played an angel and then I played a demon. I’m not really sure which one I prefer, but being a demon is more fun. The angels would frown upon killing an entire army, so I’m guessing you prefer being a demon as well.”

“I
am
a demon.”

“Right. I was planning on just watching but… you did something interesting just now. I know you’ve been stealing powers from demons. Where’d you get the ability to freeze things and throw ice?”

“I explained that if you were hiding around here somewhere. I stole that power from an angel.”

“There’s a problem with that. The only angels I know of that use ice like that are archangels. Most prominently, Michael the archangel. I’m pretty sure you didn’t kill Michael.”

Shadow couldn’t think of anything to say. Any attempt to lie would be easy to see through. He hadn’t acquired his ice powers the same way he had gained the others.

“So the rumors are true. You’re the grandson of Michael the archangel. I’d heard that before but I was skeptical.”

“Did you come here to tell me things I’ve already heard? Sarah told me that. I don’t know if I believed her then and I see no reason to believe her now.”

“Sarah is the one that asked me to come here. She asked me to help you. I’m still trying to decide if I should help you or if I should kill you.”

“I don’t need the former and you can’t do the latter. You can try, but I imagine I’ll bring your
very
long life to a
very
quick end.”

Azazel laughed. He snapped his fingers and then suddenly had both of Shadow’s scythes in his left hand. Shadow looked at his belt and realized that his weapons were gone.

“I’m sure you’ve gained a fair amount of overconfidence by picking on creatures that are weaker than you but your powers are still fairly minimal compared to a fully realized nephilim. In that sense
you
are like Hypnos and Thanatos.”

“Ok. You win. Can I have my weapons back now?”

“You’re not even supposed to have these. You aren’t a major demon.”

“I’ve heard that a bunch of times. It doesn’t mean I haven’t been wielding them as a middle demon. I even used my uncle’s scythe a handful of times when I was still a demon-in-training. I’m on my way down to see the Dragon and he’ll make me the major demon of murder. Then everyone can finally shut the hell up.”

“The Dragon won’t let you keep two scythes. So to become a major demon, you’ll have to give up some of your power.”

“I need control of my uncle’s armies so I don’t really have a choice.”

Azazel looked at the scythes in his hand.

“Well we could…”

“We could what?”

Azazel ran a hand back over the curved horns protruding from his head. He looked like an idea had occurred to him but he was still trying to work out the way to get there. Shadow repeated his question.

“We could what?”

“Have some goddamn patience. I’m thinking.”

“Did you think of a way that I can keep both scythes?”

“No. The thought just occurred to me that it would be entertaining if I could fool the Dragon into thinking you just had one.”

“You think you can trick the Dragon? Are you insane?”

“No. I’m a nephilim and the Dragon has been tricked before. As an outcast from both realms, I like proving my superiority when I have the chance. There has to be a way to combine them.”

“So you think you can fuse the two scythes together? Are you a blacksmith?”

Azazel grinned.

“Finally you get one right. That’s why I was cast out of Heaven. I was one of the forsaken angels who taught men to make weapons. I am the master blacksmith of Heaven and Hell. I’ve just never met anyone who had two scythes before so I haven’t given this idea a lot of thought.”

“Why don’t you join us? I’m going to get Muan out of the ice and start on my way to the lowest circle of Hell.”

“I thought you didn’t need my help.”

“I do if you can fuse my two scythes together and make them look like one.”

“It will take some time to think the process over. I believe I can fuse them, but making them appear as a single scythe will be the challenge. Go break your little monkey friend out of his prison and let’s get going.”

CHAPTER 10

Nightmare, Andras, and Murmur returned to their camp. The day of fighting had been extremely gruesome but Nightmare smiled as he entered his camp, covered in the dark blood of his enemies. Andras was close behind but Murmur trailed, obviously struggling with their ridiculous amounts of gear and equipment. Nightmare wasn’t amused.

“Hey Gorilla! Get your ass up here with the gear.”

“I’m moving as fast as I can, Lord Nightmare.”

Nightmare walked swiftly out to meet him and then punched him hard across the face.

“You’re a demon-in-training, Murmur. Don’t talk back to me or Andras when we tell you something.”

Murmur dropped the bags of gear and felt his lip. His mouth was bleeding.

“Yes,
sir
. My apologies.”

Nightmare looked around his camp.

“Where the hell is my dinner?”

One of the demons-in-training kneeled in front of Nightmare and held a bowl over his head with a single human soul inside.

“What the fuck is this? I’ve just killed hundreds of demons and I’m offered
one
soul for dinner?”

“Apologies, Lord Nightmare. We’re running low. Rationing our remaining supply was your father’s idea. We’re just following orders.”

“Orders don’t apply to demons like me.”

Nightmare lifted the demon-in-training into the air with his hand closed tightly around his throat. He squeezed until his head popped off his body and then proceeded to tear pieces of the demon off and eat them. He sat on a rock and tossed a leg over to Andras. Murmur looked on in disgust. Andras handed the demon leg to Murmur.

“That’s all you’re getting tonight, Gorilla. Eat it and be grateful.”

Murmur dropped it on the ground and walked away. Andras followed.

“You don’t get to drop things I hand to you and then just walk away. Go get the damn piece of meat and eat it. That wasn’t a request.”

“I don’t eat demons.”

“Oh I didn’t realize I was talking to Murmur, queen of the gorillas. Is demon flesh not good enough for your sensitive palette, your majesty?”

“I understand that I have to answer to Lord Nightmare, but you better watch your goddamn mouth, little dog conjurer.”

“What did you say to me?”

“I said if you don’t go crying to mommy, I’m happy to finish you off right here.”

Nightmare got up from where he was sitting, grabbed Murmur’s head, and brought it down to meet his knee. Murmur started gushing blood from his nose and he stumbled back several steps.

“Bad Gorilla. Don’t talk to Andras like that.”

Murmur pinched off his nose and tried to stop the bleeding. Andras chuckled. When his nose finally stopped gushing blood, he saw that a minor demon from Nightmare’s army was kneeling in front of him.

“Baal and Leviathan are demanding Murmur be handed over. Apparently General Lucian lost him to Shadow in a card game. They said they won’t exchange prisoners until Murmur has been sent over to their side. What would you like me to tell their messengers?”

The moment Murmur was waiting for had finally come. He was no longer bound to the department of murder. Murmur grabbed one of the mallets attached to his back and hit Andras hard across the face. Before Nightmare had a chance to react, he turned and ran.

“Get back here, Gorilla! I’m going to kill you!”

Murmur looked back and saw Nightmare pursuing him.

“Fuck you, Nightmare, and fuck your little bitch the dog conjurer.”

He just needed to make it to where the messengers were and hope that they could cover his escape. Nightmare looked pretty pissed off. As he saw the demons at the edge of the camp, he realized that they weren’t from Nightmare’s army.

“Turn and run! I’m Murmur and we need to get the hell out of here!”

Several of the demons looked panicked but one stepped forward wielding two short blades that glowed a bluish black. The small group received Murmur into their midst and they all drew their weapons but they continued to stand behind the demon with the short blades. Nightmare arrived a few seconds later.

“I don’t agree to hand Murmur over to Shadow. Give him back to me so I can kill him.”

The demon with short blades grinned.

“You don’t give me commands, Nightmare. You see, General Baal and General Leviathan wanted to see that Shadow’s last request was carried out. He beat your father at poker, winning a large collection of human souls and the transfer of Murmur to another department. Since Shadow is likely dead, Murmur will be joining us in the department of jealousy. My name is Tannin and I’m the middle demon of coveting. General Leviathan has given me permission to kill you if you deny our request.”

“My army is much larger than the handful of demons you brought with you.”

“Wrong. My army is in hiding and I have you surrounded. If I give the signal, they will close in and deal out the death you assholes deserve.”

Murmur stepped up a few paces and stood next to Tannin.

“I’m happy to earn my own transfer from your department. I’ll fight Andras to the death for my freedom.”

Tannin pulled Murmur aside.

“You don’t have to do this. Shadow already secured your freedom and I have enough demons to put Nightmare and his entire army in the ground if needed.”

“I’ve wanted to kill Andras since I was assigned to this department. If I join up with the department of jealousy, there’s no guarantee that I will meet him in battle. He needs to die. Now. I’m going to make sure that happens.”

“And you’re going to kill a conjurer with a bleeding nose and a couple of mallets?”

“I’d kill him with my bare hands if that’s all I had on me.”

Nightmare called to them.

“Andras accepts the challenge. Murmur will face off with Andras and fight to the death.”

Tannin looked like the challenge still worried him. Murmur hoped to reassure him that he would win.

“I got this. I used to train with Lord Shadow before we went through the trials. Lord Leech defeated Andras in the trails. I don’t want to imply that I’m a better fighter than either of them, but I’m confident I can put him down for good.”

“That’s actually not what I’m worried about.”

Tannin handed Murmur a grenade.

“It’s a smoke grenade. You’ll know when to use it. Now go kill Andras.”

Murmur wanted to ask why he would need a smoke grenade at all, but Tannin shoved him toward Andras and Nightmare. Nightmare stepped back a few paces and whispered something in one of his spy’s ears. The demon spy ran off and disappeared.

Andras walked to within a few paces of Murmur and pulled his staff off of his back. Murmur grabbed both of his mallets. A group of demons circled around them.

“Nightmare, I want a blood pact before we begin.”

“What’s wrong, Tannin? You don’t trust me?”

“Do I trust the department of lies? Hell no. We make a blood pact or we don’t do this.”

“Fine. It doesn’t matter anyways. Andras is going to kill the gorilla once and for all.”

Nightmare and Tannin both made a cut on their right hands and then clasped hands.

“We agree that if Murmur wins, he will earn his freedom and join the department of jealousy under my command.”

“We agree that if Andras wins, your army leaves without Murmur and without attacking my army. You’ll go home empty handed.”

The two middle demons shook on the terms. As soon as they finished shaking hands, Andras muttered some words under his breath and then touched his forehead with his staff. A few seconds later, he was running around Murmur with alarming speed.

Murmur tried to take a swing with one of his mallets but Andras kicked hard at the back of one of his knees and reversed direction. Murmur didn’t fall; Andras didn’t have enough strength to bring him down.

It was then that Murmur recalled a lesson he had learned from sparring with Shadow. Land a hit by swinging where your enemy is
going
to be. Murmur was in control of where Andras went if his last shot was any indication. He swung down with the mallet in his left hand and Andras changed direction. Murmur countered by swinging the mallet in his right hand horizontally straight at Andras’ face. It connected. Instead of a bloody Andras falling to the ground, the image of Andras simply disappeared. Within seconds, two wolves lunged at Murmur’s face. He was able to catch them both by the throat and crush them.

Murmur realized he hadn’t killed Andras, he had destroyed his decoy. That gave Andras the time he needed to start conjuring wolves. Murmur looked around but he didn’t see Andras anywhere. He saw several wolves circling him, waiting for the opportunity to strike and beyond that was… a dark mist.

Two of the wolves lunged from either side of Murmur. He took a step back and smashed their heads together. Another wolf jumped on his back and bit down on his left shoulder. He grunted and then flipped the wolf over his shoulder, let it fall to the ground, and stepped on its head.

Murmur knew he couldn’t just keep killing wolves surrounded by mists of darkness, so after slaying a few more that lunged at him he ran straight into the darkness. What he found was more darkness. He thought Andras had just cast a thin layer of mist around the area he was fighting off wolves but no such luck. He ran deeper and deeper in but the dark mists never faded and he never ran into one of the demons that were in a circle around him when he started fighting Andras. Clearly, Andras had become a better sorcerer than Murmur had seen in all of the battles where he was forced to carry his gear. Murmur guessed that he pulled out all of his powers for one-on-one battles but was forced to use different spells on the battlefield.

Murmur pulled a small stone from his pocket. Shadow had given it to him a long time ago and it glowed with a bright, white light. He had his suspicions where it had come from. He had heard the rumors about Shadow’s father collaborating with the angels. Even after Shadow gave him the stone, he insisted his father wasn’t a traitor so Murmur assumed there was more to the story.

Murmur held the stone in the air and said the words Shadow had taught him when they were kids.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.”

As the final words left Murmur’s mouth, light began spreading out from the stone. He quickly put it back in his pocket as the light spread out from where he had held it and dissipated the dark mists. When the final remains of the darkness faded away, Murmur saw a very surprised looking Andras.

“But… you don’t have any magic. How the hell did you…”

Murmur threw one of his mallets as hard as he could and it connected with Andras’ jaw. He fell to the ground bleeding and unconscious. Murmur walked over to him and lifted his other mallet high in to the air. As he brought it down, Nightmare caught the weapon and thrust him back.

“Tannin was lying. There is no army surrounding us. Kill them all.”

This was the moment Tannin was talking about. The moment Nightmare discovered his bluff. Murmur pulled the smoke grenade from his belt and threw it at the ground. Then he sprinted after Tannin and his small group of demons, as they were already fleeing.