Plague of Angels (10 page)

Leannis bowed her head and nodded. Lucifer ran his hand over her ass as he left, his nails leaving long rents in her armor and gouges in her flesh. Behind him, he heard the soul scream louder as Leannis took out her humiliation on it.

It almost improved his mood.

When he reached the top of his mountain he looked upon the kingdom he could not call his own. Every ounce of space that wasn’t air or built from souls was made of the same onyx rock. Hell’s black spiraling formations, mountains, and crevices had their own terrible beauty, and Lucifer reveled in it.

And that bitch Nyx owns it all. But she won’t forever. Not if Tribunal needs me instead of her.

He slammed the door to his palace when he stepped inside, and roared at everyone in the foyer to get out of his sight. The demons, incubi and Angels scrambled out of the room. The souls he had hanged up with chains to await his pleasure screamed as he ripped them from the walls. Their limbs were left behind as he hurled them out of the anteroom. A thought closed all the doors; a burst of power made it impossible for any to hear what was happening in the room. Lucifer stood alone before a brazier of Hellfire. He worked the mass in his cheek a moment, then spat it out into the fire.

The bird hissed in pain as it rose, a miniature phoenix in the flames, and hovered before him.

“You have no need of me,” hissed Lucifer at it. “You have the Queen of Hell.”

“She will fail,” said the bird in Tribunal’s voice. “And then I will have need of you.”

“Nyx does not fail.”

“She will at this,” said Tribunal’s voice, and the certainty in it gave Lucifer pause. “As surely as she failed to win you Heaven last time, she will fail at the final task I give her and will not win it this time. You, on the other hand, can.”

“You offer me Heaven?” sneered Lucifer. “It’s not yours to give.”

“Not Heaven. I offer you a new Paradise,” said Tribunal’s voice. “Heaven is God’s and will fall when he does. I offer you a Paradise where you may come and go as you please, without the strictures of God. I offer you the Earth for your toy, to play on as you will, and I offer you the throne of Hell.”

Lucifer laughed scornfully, even as his mind began to race. To rule in Hell, to overthrow Nyx and have her at his command, or better, destroyed, was his dearest wish, but to rule in Hell, to come and go as he pleased and to have a place in Paradise? That was beyond imagining.

It had been a very, very long time since the Angels had Descended, had stood in the Lake of Fire and fought for supremacy. Nyx had won, and then had punished Lucifer for a thousand years for his failures in Heaven and his defiance in Hell before making him her lieutenant. Though his flesh had long since healed, his mind was still scarred with what she had done to him. To rule over her….

“Nyx is Queen. I doubt she will deign to be usurped.”

“She will have no choice,” said Tribunal’s voice. “When God is destroyed, I will rise in His place, and then I will decide who gets to live, and who is destroyed.”

Lucifer sat back down in his chair and brooded, staring at the small red bird that waited for his answer. If he failed….

I have been second for too long,
Lucifer thought.
Longer than the world has existed, and I am tired of it!
“What must I do? Bring me to the earth and let me do it!”

“God has closed the gates to Earth from Heaven and Hell. Souls may pass from Earth to their reward, but no beings may pass the other way.”

“What?” Lucifer reached out with his mind and power to the gate above the Lake of Fire. It was true. “Why?”

“To let Mankind choose its own way,” said Tribunal’s voice, and this time bitterness filled it. “He did not listen to me.”

“He never does,” said Lucifer “So what good can we do if we cannot reach the Earth?”

“In three days the gates will be open again. When they do, two Angels may pass through. You must make certain they are Angels of Hell.”

“It can be done, easy enough,” said Lucifer. “What else?”

“Then you must wait,” said Tribunal’s voice. “It will be a thousand years before your time will come, and even then there will be work you must do.”

“A thousand years?” roared Lucifer. He lunged at the bird again, and this time it easily avoided his grasp.

“Is it so long?” asked the bird with Tribunal’s voice. “Compared to eternity? Besides, you will need that time to get your followers in line. Or did you think all Hell would follow you just because you want them to?”

“Hell follows me now!”

“Hell follows you because Nyx told them to,” said the voice of Tribunal. “Take control of Hell. Make it yours. And then, when the time comes, you will be its Master, able to do what is necessary.”

“And what is that?”

“You will kill an Angel in Hell.”

“Angels cannot die, here,” said Lucifer, his own bitterness coming out. “Believe me, we have tried.”

“This one will,” said Tribunal’s voice. “I will show you how.”

Lucifer stared at the bird, unconvinced. “And this will make me ruler of Hell?”

“No,” said Tribunal’s voice. “This will make it possible to defeat God, and when He is defeated,
I
will make you ruler of Hell.” The bird fluttered to his eye level and hovered there. “You will have a thousand years to secure your position, before the Angel will come. Will you be ready?”

“Do I have a fucking choice?” Lucifer demanded. “Of course I will be ready.”

The doors to the room sprang open, and the bird fluttered out. Lucifer called for his servants. A demon peered around the corner, waiting to see if it was to carry a message or be the next victim of Lucifer’s rage.

“Summon the captains of Legion 666,” said Lucifer. “I want them here tonight.”

There were already many in Hell who were loyal to Lucifer. Now it was time to bring the rest to heel. The thought aroused him. “And send in a succubus!” When the demoness, her face and body a ripe mockery of true beauty, came into the room Lucifer shoved her face first into the brazier of Hellfire, holding her head in the flames while he took her from behind.

I will be the King of Hell,
he thought as he impaled the screaming demon, and breathed the perfume of her roasting flesh.
And then I will have the earth for my plaything!

Three days later, Lucifer stood at the shore of the Lake of Fire and waited. His senses stretched high up, past the falling souls, to the rift above.

Around the lake, five thousand Angels stood, waiting, their armor gleaming in the yellow light of the lake’s flames, their swords and whip in hand.

The 666
th
Legion comprised the elite soldiers of Hell. Just as Michael led the Legions of Angels under God’s command, so Lucifer led the 666
th
under the command of Nyx. Legion soldiers were rarely unleashed, and had not had the chance to tread the Earth since their fall. Lucifer trained them continuously. Under his leadership, they fought pitched battles with the other Angel legions over the Lake of Fire, and whichever of the 666
th
fell in those battles had to stay in the lake until Lucifer was willing to let them rise out.

Sometimes he made them fight in the lake itself, forcing them to overcome the cold-burning anguish of their flesh and the pain of reliving their rebellion. He was always in the lead in those battles, thrashing through the Lake of Fire with the rest of them. Nyx would stand outside the lake and cheer them on.

And that was why far more of the 666
th
were loyal to him than were to Nyx.

The 666
th
was in full battle armor. Like Nyx’s, it was an extension of their flesh. The males wore a thick burgundy skin, with a texture that mimicked that of the fibers of their muscles. The females were lithe and sleek in black scales, shining and skin tight and hugging every curve.

The demons of Hell, who had been there long before the Angels’ arrival, slunk in between the Angels. They were all in different shapes, sizes, colors, and forms. Some had dragged souls with them and feasted on their flesh as they waited. Gore, the largest of them, grimaced, twitched, and shook as if he was unable to contain his excitement any longer. His thin scaly snake’s head sat on the body of what looked like a muscle-bound bear, ten times the size of any earthly beast. He was larger than Lucifer himself, and had fought him when the Angels decided to make the demons their slaves. Lucifer had beaten him to the ground and cut him a thousand times, then tossed him into the Hellfire for good measure. Gore had never forgiven him, but became his servant nonetheless.

Gore growled and convulsed in excitement, as if sensing the carnage that was about to take place. He swatted at a demon next to him, severing its head instantly with his huge black claws. Dark juice and liquid exploded into the air from the demon’s neck. Gore picked up the torso and drank from it, as though the body were a tiny goblet. The rest of the demons cheered wildly. “Gore! Gore! Gore!”

“Gore,” Lucifer commanded, “Take your brethren and leave! Your kind isn’t needed here.”

Gore slouched slowly off, his followers straggling behind him. Lucifer noticed a few stragglers, trying to blend into the ranks of dark Angels as though they would go unnoticed.

He smiled at their stupidity. With a thought, he created a dozen balls of liquid Hellfire in his hand and hurled it at the disobedient demons. The dark Angels laughed as the skin of the demons melted off. The demons screamed until they were no more than a pile of ash and bones. Gore and the others sprinted away.

Lucifer bared his enormous black wings and flexed them, taking to the air. He sped straight up with all of his unholy might. The wind from his wings funneled down like a tornado, knocking some of the Angels to their knees. Around him, souls were thrown off course to be dashed on the rocks of Hell below, rather than landing in the Lake of Fire.

High above plain, Lucifer flexed his wings and stopped his ascent. Hovering in mid-air, he looked down on the host. All eyes were on him. He drew his whip from his holster. It had seven tails, each flaming, each with spiked knots down its length, the better for tearing apart the skin of those he scourged.

He flicked his wrist and the whip cracked loudly enough to be heard across the plains of Hell. The Angels of the legion fell silent, waiting.

“God’s mortal son has died on Earth,” announced Lucifer. His voice bounced off the blood-drenched walls of Hell. Below him, the Angels cheered again.

“Silence!” he shouted, cracking the whip again.

“The rules have changed!” continued Lucifer, his voice carrying clearly to all those around the lake. “Those of you who were above heard God’s command, and know that he drove us all from the face of the earth. “The gates to Earth have been closed! God is hiding the earth from us, that His creations may walk it free of fear of Hell! He has denied us access!”

A buzz rose around the legion. Angels stretched their powers to test the rift and found it blocked. The buzz turned to anger and cries of frustration.

“Nyx is alone on Earth!” yelled Lucifer, his words stilling the Angels’ voices. “And she will walk there alone for a thousand years if we do not help her! The Angels of Heaven will stalk her over the earth and destroy her!”

The buzz of voices rose once more. Lucifer waited until it rose to a crescendo, then shouted over it. “The door will open on this day! And two may go to help her! You will be on Earth for a thousand years. You will be in a world without God, and with Nyx you will become the new gods and give us dominion over the entire world! Stand ready!”

The Angels muttered and talked amongst themselves. Lucifer ignored them and watched the rift, his whip ready in his hand.

The world changed, and the rift was ready.

Lucifer lashed out with his whip, its length stretching impossibly high to the top of the gate between Earth and Hell, and tore a hole into the fabric of reality.

“The gate is open!” he shouted. “Only the strongest and the fastest will go! Fly and fight, and let the ones that win through fight for our queen!”

Two thousand of the legion leapt into the air at once, racing for the opening. Immediately, blades clashed and whips lashed out at wings and flesh, as each Angel sought to be the first to reach the gate. The air above the lake became a mass of whirling black flesh and feathers, as if four hundred massive crows fought at once for scraps of dead flesh hanging above.

In the crowd still on the ground, Ishtar, once renowned through Babylon as goddess of love, sex, and war, glared at Persephone, who had dragged her down and prevented her from rising into the fray. “What are you doing, you stupid bitch?” Ishtar demanded. “We could be by Nyx’s side! We should be by Nyx’s side!”

Persephone kept her grip.

Persephone and Ishtar could’ve been Nyx’s sisters—even down to the beauty marks above their upper lips. Ishtar had her eyes lined in black, like the goddesses of Egypt, which she had once been. Persephone’s were lined with white, and her upper eyelids and lips looked kissed by frost. They had fought beside Nyx from the beginning, and won her love and respect. Dark Angels possessed a savage loyalty to those they loved, and Persephone and Ishtar both loved Nyx dearly.