REVENANT (Descendants Saga) Page 14

  Thousands had answered his siren’s call. These from Tidus had brought him news of their new queen, the same who had ousted his host. Others, coming from various places both in the mortal world and realms of the spiritual plane, had brought news of a vampire horde gathering in Eastern Europe. Anubis knew that Lucifer would bring others from Tartarus. Almost certainly, this gathering of the Breed was due to Hageddon loosed upon the world.

  “My lord,” a young Lycan warrior called Ishbe addressed him, disturbing his meditation.

  Anubis opened his eyes, looking down at the man. He did not speak, but waited for the report to come.

  “My lord, we have assembled a total of five thousand warriors who are ready to fight,” Ishbe said.

  Many of those assembled were rogues who had gone away from Tidus in order to start their own clans. However, though they had built cities and towns, none had ever attained to the splendor of Tidus. It was a city of kings, the city he had founded centuries ago. He would reclaim what belonged to him.

  “You will lead my army, Ishbe,” Anubis said. “We will crush these rebels and take back Tidus.”

  “My lord, the portal gate no longer functions,” Ishbe reported. “Other means of entry have also been blocked. How will we get to the city?”

  “I will create our way,” he said. “Nothing can keep me out. Serve me well, Ishbe, and you will be allowed to rule under me.”

  The young Lycan bowed at the waist. “I will, my lord. Your army will be ready to attack by the afternoon.”

  “What news of the remaining pixies in London?” Anubis asked. Grayson Stone was expecting them to be eradicated from the city in order to make way for the mortals to resume control. Had any real conquest by Descendants in the mortal world been Lucifer’s plan, this method would have made no sense. However, he only intended, through all of these means, to destabilize both parties to the ultimate end that all looked to his appointed man as the answer to their problems.

  “The pixies have been routed, my lord,” Ishbe said. “We executed the stragglers as you instructed.”

  Anubis stood staring across the cathedral sanctuary which had been reserved for him alone. When he made no further inquiry, Ishbe bowed and started to go.

  “Ishbe,” Anubis said.

  “Yes, my lord?”

  “If all goes according to my plan, I will require you to rule Tidus with me,” he said.

  “I don’t understand,” Ishbe replied.

  “I will require a willing host to share my power,” Anubis explained, “a vessel that I may inhabit as I do Kron now.”

  “I am very willing, my lord,” Ishbe said eagerly. “But why would you need another host when you have this body now?”

  “I was placed in this body,” he said. “However, I may come into another and possibly remain upon the mortal plane indefinitely. If I do not, then our victory today will be hollow. Tidus will be lost. But if I remain, then my power remains and my host will rule for a thousand years.”

  Ishbe’s eyes sparkled at the prospect of such power and prestige coming to him. Of course, Anubis was lying to him. Kron belonged to him now and held very little sway—he merely provided a body. For this one it would be the same. Ruling for one thousand years had no basis in fact, whatsoever. But it certainly sounded good to a greedy mortal creature like Ishbe.

  Anubis knew his brother angel very well. Lucifer could not be trusted, nor could any of them. He knew that any angel in Tartarus would do whatever was asked of them in order to escape it even for a short time. He and the others were being taken advantage of for a time. Then Lucifer would drop them back into Tartarus to live out their miserable existence until final judgment came upon them from on high.

  He would not believe Lucifer’s lies again. The regret for past iniquity and dread of future everlasting fire he lived with every moment of every day was enough to steer him away from his brother’s plans. If Lucifer could extend the spirit’s of the Fallen into the mortal world and anchor them by mortal hosts, then perhaps he could take the process one step further.

  Making the leap into another willing host might be sufficient to escape Lucifer’s control. The host would die, but he might live on in a new mortal host not bound to Grayson Stone. The alternative was unacceptable—waiting for his brother’s ends to be accomplished so that he and the others could be dismissed.

  “My lord, it will be my honor to assist you,” Ishbe said.

  “When the time is right,” Anubis replied, patting the young warrior on the shoulder. “When the time is right.”

  Photons blazed brilliantly as the final portal entrance into the realm of the Lycans closed. Donatus took a deep breath, watching his brother. They had separated from Oliver several hours before, or rather Donatus had and Laish had followed.

  “Not bad,” Laish commented. “You might have deconstructed the teleportation matrix a bit more to avoid all of the pyrotechnics at the last, but it will suffice.”

  “I’m afraid, I never had your flare for such things,” Donatus said.

  “Bah,” Laish spat. “Don’t patronize me, brother. We’ve no time for foolish talk. I’ll be on my way soon.”

  “You don’t have to leave so quickly,” he said.

  “I’ve a home to rebuild,” Laish said.

  “We could really use your help,” Donatus said. “By the way, I do appreciate the help you have already given. I know that you don’t like to get involved in situations like this.”

  Laish did not answer immediately. Finally, he replied, “I will not be bullied by Grayson Stone, or Lucifer, for that matter.”

  “You realize an attack is coming,” Donatus said. “Regardless of these measures, it will come all the same.”

  “Of course, I realize that,” Laish grumbled. “Exactly why I have no further reason for being here. The Lycans are nothing to me. I honestly don’t understand why you are here either.”

  “The time has come for Descendants of all the clans to stand together against the evil that we were spawned from,” he said. “Otherwise, we will be defeated. That is why both you and I belong here right now.”

  “Humph,” Laish said. “Pretty words without meaning.”

  “You know better than that,” Donatus said. “I’m asking for this one favor. Help us defend Tidus.”

  Laish grumbled to himself about inconvenience before answering. “I’ll consider it,” he said finally before teleporting them both back to the palace with a snap of his fingers.

  Wicked

  Appearing in the near vicinity of Southresh had not been difficult. I could have come through at almost any place inside of Philadelphia and found him. Such was the ruin that one demon had made of this American city. You just couldn’t miss his influence. However, I was soon to find that he had created plenty of help along the way.

  To my initial astonishment, many buildings had burned completely to the ground. It was as though no effort had been made to put any of the fires out. Even now, I could see many structures still on fire or smoldering. The sky above the city was filled with black smoke.

  I walked down a wide street with many destroyed buildings. I had no idea what the names of these had been. I had never been to Philadelphia. Even if I had, I would not have recognized it now.

  There were no pedestrians on the sidewalks and no traffic of any kind. A burning ghost town. However, the further I walked, the more uncertain I became. There were eyes peering at me from alleyways and the dark rooms of abandoned buildings. I hoped these were simply terrified survivors, huddling in the shadows for fear of discovery.

  They were not.

  Men and women, even children, came out of their hiding places as I passed by. They seemed curious, but not afraid. When the fading light of an orange evening sun hit them, I noticed their blood smeared clothes.

  Laughter, like that of hyenas, and guttural growls came to me from the gathering crowd. The situation had gone bad within moments. A curious dozen of these loping ghouls had transformed into a mob of one hu
ndred or more in a moment. They came from every building orifice like cockroaches, crawling out of windows and down the walls like spiders in defiance of gravity, leering at me with bloody teeth and fiendish expressions.

  I felt Southresh’s presence, but he had not shown his face yet. No doubt, he was watching from somewhere, hoping to be entertained shortly. The closer his minions came, the more sure that option was becoming. I was in no mood to play games. I had no idea what had happened to these people, or what power controlled them now, but I was about to unleash my mounting fury upon them.

  Still, I thought I might at least show them the courtesy of a warning. I created my extension, keeping it clear as was my habit these days following Oliver’s example. Then I set it ablaze with blue flame, giving the appearance that I was engulfed in an inferno yet living.

  This display gave them pause, but only for a moment. Debris items from the street were held aloft by the power of whatever spirits now inhabited these persons. They were then hurled at me by unseen forces.

  I extinguished the flames on my extension allowing me to see my adversaries better. Multiple items impacted with my invisible shield, many shattering or deflecting back into the crowd. My passive defense only annoyed these possessed creatures.

  The mob enclosed around me, running and leaping to attack. I treated them as I had Black’s rag dolls before, creating multiplied rebounds through my extension. Bodies were tossed into buildings, down the street and back into the onrushing crowd, creating chaos. None of this dissuaded them in the least—they kept coming.

  None of the beasts even approached penetrating my extension, but I was growing annoyed. I had come here to face Southresh, not a horde of lackeys. I switched tactics, hurling lightning at them for good measure. Numerous persons were struck and knocked to the ground. At that point, the spirit within them may have been willing, but the body was down for the count—unconscious by electrocution.

  I continued this offense, deciding that I liked the results very much. I had no idea if any of them were actually killed. From my observations, they were only unconscious, though I had invested enough voltage in my strikes to knock down an elephant.

  They continued to attack, though they were more discriminating and elusive by now. Still, this battle was entirely one-sided. Maybe these were inhibited by the mortal bodies they were inhabiting, I couldn’t be sure. I wasn’t an expert in the hierarchy of demonic spirits, but these clearly lacked the punch of the greater entities like Black and Southresh.

  I quickly grew tired of playing games with these minions. As many as I knocked down, they were replaced by more that were still coming from every direction. I changed strategies, this time teleporting off of the street entirely.

  I appeared upon one of the neighboring rooftops, looking down on the swarm of people converging below. They became incensed when they could not find me. I wouldn’t be so rude. “Up here!” I called.

  All eyes found me above. They scrambled like animals, bees from a hive that would not be deterred by any means. Demon possessed men, women, boys and girls took to the walls, scrabbling up the sheer face of the building toward me at speed. When they reached the top, I wasn’t there.

  “Over here!” I cried, this time from the top of the building across the wide street. I even waved at them for good measure. From the street and the opposite building, possessed individuals took to the air, levitating themselves toward me. I was more impressed by this, but it was an easy enough maneuver.

  When they finally reached me, I teleported away. Now, I was just down the street on the opposite side, again. “I can do this all day, Southresh!” I yelled, knowing he had to be close enough to hear me.

  This time the minions did not close the distance. They were definitely perturbed by our confrontation and their inability to pin me down, but they weren’t moving. I finally received a reply a moment later.

  The wind was the first response. It picked up rapidly with heavy gusts that could easily knock a more frail person off of their feet. I stayed the course, waiting. Demon possessed persons leaped away from the last building where I had been. They appeared to be running away from some oncoming calamity, like birds migrating away from an approaching storm.

  A moment later, fire erupted from every orifice in the building at once. Southresh appeared on the roof, delivered by a gout of flame. I had to give him points for showmanship, but not many. Any circus clown could do as much, in my opinion, only this was a real life and death situation.

  I was surprised by his human form—the body he had inhabited. As grisly in appearance as he was, I thought I vaguely recognized this person. Enhancing my vision brought his features into focus. It was Arthur Craven into whom Southresh had been invested—the same that had fled London after the Order of Light was destroyed in Whitehall.

  “How did you escape Tartarus?” I called to him across the road.

  His reply was unnaturally loud, despite the little effort he spoke with. “Has my son come to see his daddy?” he asked, mocking me.

  “I’m not your son,” I said, gritting my teeth.

  “Ah, but you are,” Southresh said, laughing. “You just wish you were not.”

  “How did you escape Tartarus?” I asked again.

  “What makes you think I’ve escaped at all?” he replied. “Perhaps you only imagine that I must escape to be here now.”

  “Maybe you’re the one imagining things,” I said. “Like, maybe, you imagine that Lucifer can suddenly be trusted. Wasn’t he the one who stopped you from killing Oliver and me in Tartarus?”

  Southresh growled at me for reminding him. He threw a ball of fire across the expanse between us. I teleported away to another part of the roof, unsure if my extension had enough strength to stop anything he threw at me.

  “Again, I ask you, what is your purpose in Philadelphia?”

  “I have my own reasons,” he shouted.

  “You are a servant,” I said, grinning now, knowing that he could see me grinning. “His purpose is to have you cause chaos, to make trouble so that others will view him as a savior.”

  Lightning struck my extension bubble several times. I felt the drain on my physical strength. I returned the gesture, but Southresh waved it away as inconsequential.

  “What will Grayson and Lucifer do with you, once you’ve served your purpose here?” I asked. “Doesn’t it bother you that he favors a mortal over you and your brothers?”

  That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. The mad god had had enough. Southresh roared furiously.

  The building, an eight story tenement, burst into flames. Lightning strikes, too numerous for counting, collided with my shield and the building. He roared again, throwing his hands forward. One of the lower floors collapsed, allowing all of the weight from above to come crashing down.

  I was so overwhelmed by his sudden ferocity that I couldn’t tell which way was up. The roof exploded upward around me. Debris crashed into my extension with flames and lightning besides. I was falling down into an inferno, all the while losing strength as my extension protected me from the destruction around me. Despite this protection, I felt like I was taking a beating from a gang of street thugs.

  I teleported nearly a block away, landing heavily in the street on my hands and knees. I looked up in time to see the building going down before me. A fiery mushroom cloud resulted from the conflagration.

  Southresh roared again. Despite the distance, I could still hear him just as clearly, as if he were standing right next to me. More explosions resulted. Debris was blasted into the air. Fire and smoke billowed and died. He was coming after me.

  The possessed came out onto the street, running toward me. I morphed into a silverback gorilla, charging at them and away from the furious angel dogging my heels. His minions fought with supernatural strength, but they were no match for my simian prowess. I bowled through them and galloped down the street. Destruction and fire followed close behind with Southresh at the heart of it, all the time roaring out
his curses.

  This was getting me nowhere. I stopped and attempted a portal envelope to remove me completely from Philadelphia. After all, I just wanted to see if he would provide me any information on Grayson Stone. He hadn’t. Time to go, and fast.

  As I had feared might happen, Southresh’s influence prevented me from teleporting any great distances. I became a cheetah, just as the possessed caught up to me again. I dashed away just in time.

  The farther I ran the worse the city looked. I was entering deeper into the destruction zone. I leaped toward a nearby building that was still standing. Becoming a chimpanzee, I found every available handhold, almost running up the wall to the roof.

  “Come to me, my child, and face my wrath!” Southresh screamed behind me.

  I looked back long enough to see the horde of possessed following and the cloud of fire and smoke surrounding Southresh as he floated through the air after me. Balls of fire and lightning slammed into the building, shaking it beneath my feet as I became human in form again. The demon possessed I could fight—Southresh I had no chance of fighting. He was simply too powerful for my efforts to be effective.

  I had to keep running and put enough distance between us in order to teleport away from the city. I was beginning to wonder how well my plan had been thought through. What had I been thinking by coming here?

  Running across the roof as fast as I could, I took the form of a cheetah again, gaining an instant burst of speed. The building began to crumble beneath me. It would collapse at any moment. I used the last bit of speed in the cheetah’s body and then leaped away from the roof.

  As I plummeted toward the ground, I became a peregrine falcon picking up speed rapidly. Opening my wings with slight adjustments to body position leveled me out low over the adjacent street. Behind me, the building I had used briefly as a platform crumbled to the ground under fire from the enraged angel.

  There was no way the possessed could catch me now. Southresh I wasn’t so sure about. Still, I could feel his influence, like a tangible pressure around me, fading as I flew on as fast as I could. In the form of the falcon this proved to be considerable.