《PCS to Eden - (I'm on TDY from Hell Book 2)》 Prologue - The Fall ¡°Someone give me a SITREP!¡± A short, broad-shouldered man with black wings and twin gladiuses crisscrossed across his back marched among his men. Half a legion of wounded defiled the former Golden Hall of Prince Seere, but it was no longer great. Ash, dirt, and blood coated the once pristine floor and the Hall made no move to cleanse itself of the filth. It was a constant reminder that their Lord was gone. ¡°General Icilius!¡± A scout dropped down through a hole in the roof left by the enemy¡¯s bombardment. His landing kicked up the dust and started a fit of coughing in the nearby walking wounded. ¡°The latest reports from the front,¡± he bowed low like he would for their former Lord. For all intents and purposes, Gaius Icilius was the Infernal Lord of what remained of Prince Seere¡¯s lands; although, he was neither Infernal nor a Lord. It didn¡¯t matter right now because what these lands needed was a general, and he was the best left in the Kingdom. ¡°General Lee is holding at the Styx.¡± Gaius cracked a rare smile. ¡°Yes, Sir. Cain continues to throw everything he can spare against us, but the General is holding his ground.¡± The scout shook out his brown wings, which had a few noticeable holes in them. His flight in had been eventful. ¡°Get patched up before you leave.¡± Gaius pointed toward the healers moving among the injured. They had to ration their power, but he couldn¡¯t help but reward the messenger for the good news. He smothered the embers of hope in his chest and read the rest of the report. The last of Seere¡¯s towns had surrendered to Beelzebub. The Lord of All That Flies was continuing he annexation-by-force of Seere¡¯s land and all who used to serve him. The Dux of the town had been a fool and hoped that by letting the Infernal Lord¡¯s horde in without fighting he would be merciful. That had ended with the entire town butchered, their heads chopped off, and displayed on pikes that were being marched up and down the siege lines of the Capitol like trophies. Gaius offered the reward of an extra ration of bread to any sniper who took down the standard bearers who were affecting his army¡¯s morale. His men had jumped at the opportunity. Gaius and never been a fan of snipers. He found their style of warfare dishonorable, but he couldn¡¯t dispute their effectiveness. The ground rumbled and he braced himself until the shockwave passed. He couldn¡¯t tell if that was his force¡¯s artillery barrage or Beelzebub¡¯s creatures dive-bombing his trenches and dropping thousand-pound hollow balls of explosive acids. Either way, men were dying by the droves on both sides. Gaius resumed his confident stride as he pushed through the ornate door to the throne room. The delicate carvings were unblemished, but the door itself had been knocked off its top hinge and was hanging precariously. The massive entrance would crush the closest group of wounded if it collapsed, but they didn¡¯t seem to care. Death by falling door was much better than death by the beaks and talons of Beelzebub¡¯s patchwork creatures. The throne room was bustling with activity, but everyone stepped aside to make a path for their general. In the center of a room was a giant map of the capitol city and the surrounding countryside with the wispy outlines of the two battling armies. The city showed signs of damage just about everywhere. A nonstop stream of air-defense weaponry was keeping Beelzebub¡¯s flying legions at bay, but they were running low on ammunition, and until they could replenish it they were vulnerable to aerial attack, which was the Lord of All That Flies¡¯ specialty. Even worse, the new ammunition wouldn¡¯t be as effective as what they were currently using. Infernal Iron took an Infernal¡¯s blessing to empower it with ?ther. Without the influx of the fundamental building block of the universe they would just be firing plain iron. Their effectiveness would be several orders of magnitude lower, and they were barely getting by with what they had now. A quick look at the quartermaster tallies next to the map showed they had a day ¨C maybe two ¨C if they rationed the Infernal Iron¡¯s use. They couldn¡¯t make more with Seere gone. Gaius pushed down the growing despair and focused on something he could influence: the mass of black rolling across the map and completely encircling the city on three sides. Beelzebub had felt the death of Seere just like all of his subjects, and promptly pounced on the opportunity. Thirty legions ¨C three hundred thousand monsters ¨Csurged across the border in a blitzkrieg that had overwhelmed the boarder fortifications without Seere¡¯s assistance. Four whole legions were lost as they were encircled and destroyed. The eight that survived the initial onslaught were thinned out in the fighting retreat toward the Capitol. Many took refuge in the smaller cities throughout the kingdom, but they were besieged and eliminated. Within a week of Seere¡¯s death twelve of his twenty-six Infernal legions were wiped from existence. The remaining fourteen were split between the frontier with Cain and the Capitol. General Lee commanded the sixty-thousand men at the border and Gaius commanded the eighty-thousand men defending the Capitol. Normally, losses wouldn¡¯t be an issue, but with Seere gone they were as mortal as humans again. The latest figures showed one in twenty men were returning from the Resurrection Pool. The Pool was cannibalizing those individual soldiers¡¯ ?ther as part of the process since it had been robbed of its original power source. Only those with a significant amount of power at death were returning, and they came out weak and nearly useless from the process. Gaius reminded himself that he could always find a use for a man who could hold a weapon. Even the whores were being pressed into service in the forges and on the front lines. Morale had taken a considerable hit because of it. Gaius watched the map with concentration born from a millennia of experience. It was real-time information, and he watched the ebb and flow of battle like a master painter critiquing brushstrokes. He saw the surge building before the enemy could lash out against his lines and break through. ¡°All guns, fire for effect on my command at this location.¡± The activity in the throne room grew even more frenzied as the order was relayed to the batteries throughout the city.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. The gun crews were well-trained and waited for the order. They waited for several minutes until Gaius finally saw a thick knot of black surge toward a perceived weakness in his lines. ¡°FIRE!¡± Hell screamed and seemed to tear itself in two as hundreds of guns fired from all across the city at one location. The explosive Infernal Iron shells stopped the charge dead in its tracks and rolled like a wave back into the heart of Beelzebub¡¯s formation. The blackness around the city visibly staggered as something vital was wiped from the playing field. A section of the black was going mad. The barrage had killed an enemy leader of some kind and his troops had lost all cohesion and sanity. It gave Gaius some breathing room. He turned away from the map and looked for a young captain. ¡°Status?¡± The Captain¡¯s brow was covered in sweat as he stepped away from the throne room¡¯s central feature. Nearly an entire company of men were rotating through the massive task of securing Seere¡¯s throne. ¡°We¡¯ve nearly got it secure, Sir. Removing it from the land has taken nearly all of our remaining power, but once we pry it free it¡¯ll move like any old big-ass chair.¡± The Captain smiled. ¡°Can we tap it?¡± That was what Gaius really wanted to know. He had no idea how much power the Divine Instrument held, but he was sure it was enough to do serious damage to the invading army. The Captain just shrugged in reply. He was a soldier not an ?therial scholar. There were no scholars in the Kingdom because no one ever thought they¡¯d be in the situation they were currently in. No one thought Seere would ever fall. ¡°Find me when you¡¯ve secured it and assembled the guard.¡± Gaius dropped his voice low enough so no one but the two of them could hear. Gaius Icilius might be many things but he was not the type of man to go down with his sinking ship; especially when it wasn¡¯t his ship to begin with. He was the type of man to build his own lifeboat with whatever he had available, kill anyone who got in his way, and made sure he made it out alive. It was a good thing he¡¯d never even heard of the Titanic, or the movie would have had a very different ending. ¡°General!¡± A voice called out in panic. It was a voice Gaius knew well, and the man it belonged to was not prone to fear. He sprinted back toward the map and immediately saw the problem. The city had been completely encircled on three sides for days, but the fourth side was dominated by the sea and a wall of gloomy fog. In all the time he¡¯d lived in the Capitol, no one was allowed to fly over the sea. It was rumored only Seere could survive whatever was out there on the fringe of Hell. Now, a mass of black was soaring over the water like an approaching storm, and he had no one there to oppose them. ¡°Retarget all air-defense guns to the sea. All available airborne units are to assemble at the beach. Artillery needs to keep the enemies¡¯ heads down along the siege lines. Reserves to the Hall!¡± Gaius kept his face composed as he chewed himself out. The last attack had been a feint to draw attention from the sea. It had come at the cost of over ten thousand lives, but if they were able to break the city¡¯s back then it wouldn¡¯t matter. The Captain now had a time limit. Gaius watched the map as eleven thousand airborne soldiers barreled toward over forty thousand of Beelzebub¡¯s horde. The air-defense guns roared to life and put a wall of iron between the two forces until right before they clashed. It thinned the herd and Beelzebub¡¯s minions fell from the sky like dark rain, but it was still over two to one odds when it became hand-to-hand combat. ¡°Deploy the reserves. I want a final defensive line here.¡± He pointed toward the brownstones near the Hall. ¡°Snipers target the leaders. Get the men on the roofs with whatever we have left.¡± They¡¯d dug heavy machine guns into positions around the Hall and held in reserve a number of rocket launchers. He kept that thought to himself, but nervously glanced over his shoulder at the Captain and his team trying to pry the throne from the floor. ¡°Shit!¡± Gaius saw it just as a Colonel let out the curse. A detachment of aerial fighters broke off from the main fight and dive-bombed a section of Gaius¡¯ line that anchored the flank at the beach. He didn¡¯t know what they dropped, but the resulting explosion nearly threw him off his feet. He recovered quickly, but with the reserves committed to defending the Hall there was nothing to stop Beelzebub¡¯s troops from surging into the city, wreaking havoc, and rolling up the thin line of soldiers standing between the populace and certain death. The situation had gone from precarious to hopeless in less than half an hour. ¡°Fire everything we¡¯ve got! Turn them to ash!¡± It wouldn¡¯t plug the hole, but it might slow them down. Gaius heard the grunt and felt the shift as the Captain moved the throne. The Golden Hall gave a shudder and the ever-present luminous quality faded away. What once felt like a welcome home with a hearth full of men ready to drink and fight was now just a big building with a target drawn on it. ¡°Anyone with wings on me!¡± Gaius showed off his impressive wingspan and troops flocked to him. ¡°Captain?¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± The young officer easily carried over the golden throne. Gaius body swelled to three times its normal size so the Captain could latch it to his back between his wings. ¡°Protect the Throne of Seere!¡± He had both gladiuses in his hands now and he pumped them up and down as he changed. ¡°Protect the Throne of Seere!¡± ¡°Protect the Throne of Seere!¡± ¡°Protect the Throne of Seere!¡± He worked the small contingent of soldiers into a frenzy, and with a final pump pointed to the hole in the roof. A thousand soldiers streamed through it with bloodlust clouding the minds. Four times as many soldiers were waiting for them. They cut each other to pieces. ¡°Air defense cover me!¡± Gaius stepped under the hole with the assembled guard. Unlike the rag tag group who¡¯d just flown to their death, the guard was five hundred well-armed, trained, and powerful soldiers. Gaius waited until the heavy boom of nearby guns and contrails of rockets whizzed by the opening before shooting off into the sky. It was madness. Gaius could feel the air everywhere shuddering with violence as high-velocity rounds cut through it toward their targets. He had to deftly dodge a few outbound artillery shells as they screamed toward targets threatening the siege lines. To his left, the city burned from a combination of plunder and the artillery¡¯s failing attempt to beat back the horde. It was a different sight than what he¡¯d seen on the map ¨C more brutal ¨C but one he was still accustomed to, and the conclusion was clear. The city would fall within the next few hours. Gaius needed to retreat, but there would be no retreat for the trapped legions. They would attempt a break out, but they had to be down to fewer than fifty thousand men now, and they were up against at least five times their numbers. It wouldn¡¯t succeed. ¡°Sir, we need to move.¡± They¡¯d lingered just a few seconds too long and had caught the attention of an aerial patrol. At least a thousand of Beelzebub¡¯s soldiers altered course and shot straight at them. The boom of air-defense guns drowned out the guards¡¯ roar as they headed straight for the patrol with Gaius at the head of the formation. By the time they reached them the guns had evened their numbers. Gaius and most of the guard flew threw them. Several limbs fell to the earth while ear-splitting shrieks of limbless foes squawked in their guttural tone for their bastard Lord to save them. ¡°Cover our retreat, Captain.¡± The young officer nodded and peeled away with a hundred men. They looped around and reengaged the enemy while Gauis poured on the speed and shot toward General Lee¡¯s army to the north. He would regroup there and figure out his next move. He did even see the Captain and his men fall to their deaths covering him as he left his home of over a thousand years to burn. Calm Before the Storm ¡°Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah¡­hallelujah¡­ha-lle-lu-jah!¡± A choir of mortal souls sang their praises at the entrance to the Hall on Most High. Their words were filled with joy, wonder, and awe. Handel, the composer of this particular hymn, stood among the choir shouting his love of God. Michael couldn¡¯t help but smile as he walked past the small gathering. The humans righteous enough to gain entrance through the Pearly Gates often clung to their old ways, and the atmosphere of Heaven encouraged those souls to do what they wished. The manipulation of ?ther in Heaven was not the same as in Eden or Hell. The Archangel didn¡¯t know how the building blocks of the universe were twisted in Hell, but they were collected in Eden. They were collected in the souls of man and the bosom of nature. His Father had done a truly magnificent thing on Earth. In Heaven, ?ther wasn¡¯t collected. It was expressed by God himself. Aether permeated everything with a sense of calm and content. Many of the souls granted entry had lived hard lives serving others and following the commandments of God. Constant peace was their reward. Michael mused as he tried to avoid stepping on any of the humans. He was in his true form in Heaven ¨C three hundred feet tall ¨C but without his armor. Armor was for the battlefield, so he wore a plain white tunic that allowed his wings to spread freely behind him. Stepping on the humans wouldn¡¯t do anything. They would poof like a cloud and quickly reform, but it was considered rude and bad manners. These souls deserved respect. ¡°All hail the Sword of God!¡± The choir ceased their praise and waved as Michael passed. He waved back, but didn¡¯t stop. He¡¯d learned long ago that stopping would lead to hours of discussion. It was usually riveting discussion, but time was of the essence. He made one long stride and he was passed them and into the Hall on Most High. To his left and right were statues, icons, and trophies of his Father. Only when you passed them did you see hidden nooks where members of the Cherubim Guard stood on watch. There would have been a time when those hiding places were empty, but they¡¯d been manned, to some degree, since the War of Rebellion. Today, every spot was filled, and roving patrols walked the hall. The items of celestial power in this hall couldn¡¯t fall into enemy hands. The Hall itself swirled with his Father¡¯s ?ther. If God deemed it necessary, he could make the hall loop around so invaders or thieves would run in an endless circle until caught. It was the first of many countermeasures to keep these items out of enemy hands. Michael didn¡¯t have to walk before another angel joined him. ¡°Castor.¡± Michael nodded to the Captain of the Cherubim Guard. Most humans didn¡¯t know the true nature of cherubim. Popular culture showed them as fat, baby-like creatures with bows that dispensed love to humans in need. The only thing remotely true in that description was the bow. The armored angels of the cherubim were masters of the bow, spear, sword, shield and wore all of them into battle. In reality, the cherubim were some of Heaven¡¯s fiercest warriors. Their most recent deployment was driving the Infernals from Eden into Hell under the command of Michael and other archangels millennia ago. Castor had been there. ¡°Michael, you look better.¡± Castor gave the heavenly general a quick once over. Michael¡¯s recent battle with Satan had left him with several new scars and a deep amount of guilt. The Powers were monitoring the situation in Charlotte, but the casualty numbers were rising, and it was all his fault. It had been a draw, but in the tie Satan had still accomplished his mission. The Veil his Father had erected between the realms was crumbling. Infernals would start making forays into Eden when the realized the weakness, and humanity would suffer their wrath. All that stood between them and destruction was the Divine Host. ¡°Chin up, Brother.¡± Castor noticed the pain on his older brother¡¯s face. ¡°We will finally defeat them once and for all.¡± Castor was a slightly smaller version of Michael. He was just a hair under three hundred feet tall with shoulder length black hair bound together by a strip of leather. His steel gray eyes weren¡¯t cruel, but they were intense to the point of indifference. Like Michael, he had seen the worst this universe had to offer while defending Heaven and Eden from a multitude of threats. Michael wouldn¡¯t say his younger brother was eager for war, but he was eager to end the fighting. Although, Michael knew Castor would have no idea what to do with himself if they actually succeeded. Michael didn¡¯t reply as they reached the end of the hall. Two squads of Cherubim stood to either side of the entrance to God¡¯s throne room, while a single angel stood blocking anyone¡¯s path who wished to enter. The angel was as large as Michael, with four metallic-gray wings fully extended to cover the entrance. He held his sword pommel up with the blade tip resting easily on the floor. It was an imposing stance by an imposing figure. ¡°Metatron.¡± Michael gave the Seraph a bow. ¡°Father called for us.¡± Metatron didn¡¯t speak. He simply nodded. The Seraph¡¯s voice was just as dangerous as his sword. He¡¯d given up his ability to converse with his brothers and sisters to better protect their Father. God had bestowed the new gift upon him after half his guards were cast into Hell for rebelling against him. Metatron furled his wings and stepped to the side. The massive doors to the throne room swirled in front of them. They were another line of defense against attack. Right now they weren¡¯t anything more than swirling ?ther. There was no knob to turn, and if someone tried to rush through they would find themselves back at the main entrance to the Hall on Most High. It was an elegant trick, and it ensured God only saw the people he wanted. Once Metatron stepped aside the door solidified into an ornately carved piece of white marble. In the center was a starburst that represented the birth of the universe. From that starburst, figures spring forth, but only one was truly defined: their Father. The door¡¯s seam split right down the center of the starburst and opened to admit Michael and Castor. A second angel, this one larger than Michael or Castor, stood before them. ¡°Brothers.¡± Amenadiel gave them a warm smile. Most considered Michael to be God¡¯s champion and the strongest of the Divine Host. They¡¯d be wrong. The most powerful angel, in terms of sheer strength, was Amenadiel, but strength didn¡¯t make a commander. The second of four Seraphim lacked flexibility. He didn¡¯t have the tactical mindset to adapt and overcome to a constantly changing battlefield. That was why he was their Father¡¯s closest guard and confidant. Michael suspected that Satan had been jealous of their Father¡¯s relationship with Amenadiel, even though the Prince of Darkness had been Captain of the Seraphim Guard. ¡°Please follow me.¡± Amenadiel led the way. He was in his full regalia of Divine Steel armor and weaponry. All of the Seraphim were ready for battle at all time. Castor was also armed, but Michael had forsaken everything to focus on his healing. There was no suspicion or paranoia that his brothers were going to turn on him and kill him as they approached his Father¡¯s throne. That only happened in a realm ruled by Satan, and that mentality had already claimed a victim. Michael had heard of Seere¡¯s death. Despite the former Throne¡¯s exile and theft of Divine property, Michael still mourned his death. He had been a good angel before Lucifer and Satan sunk their teeth into him. God¡¯s throne rose up before them as they approached. It went up and up without end. The throne connected to all parts of Heaven. It emitted the heavenly peace that the human souls¡¯ cherished, and it gathered ?ther from Eden as mortals beseeched him for guidance. Despite the immensity of the object it was made of plain wood, bore nothing ornate like other thrones throughout creation, and even looked uncomfortable to sit on. Sitting on it was an ordinary-looking, middle-aged man. God had normal brown hair cut in a modest style. He had a neatly combed brown beard that took up the majority of his face. Kind blue eyes tinged with sadness were staring intently down at a chess board. A bit of a pot-belly extended from his plain beige tunic. A frayed sandal adorned a calloused foot resting on his knee as he sat cross-legged and watching his opponent closely. If Michael hadn¡¯t been created by this man he wouldn¡¯t have noticed him walking down the street.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. God¡¯s chess opponent was the third Seraph, Zebadiah. Zebadiah had been elevated to his position after the War of Rebellion. He took Lucifer¡¯s spot. He was cunning, not as cunning as the Morningstar, but their Father engaged him often in topics of debate. Zebadiah had a firm grasp on modern man and their proclivities. ¡°Michael, Castor,¡± God held up a finger for them to wait. He tugged at his beard before moving his queen. ¡°Checkmate in three.¡± Zebadiah took a few seconds before admitting defeat and tipping over his king. The fourth and final Seraph, Castiel, stepped forward. He watched Michael like a hawk. All of God¡¯s children loved him and wanted to protect him, but Castiel was the most zealous. He¡¯d taken Satan¡¯s place as Captain of the Seraphim Guard, and seemed determined to right the wrongs of his predecessor. He was strong, smart, determined, and ruthless. Everything that Satan was with the addition of absolute loyalty. Castiel would not fall like Satan had. Michael could sense Castiel wanted to rebuke him for having the chance to kill Satan and failing, but he held his tongue. His fallen children were a tough subject for their Father. ¡°Thank you for coming.¡± With a wave of God¡¯s hand the chess board vanished in a puff of white smoke. A snap of his fingers made the room shudder. From the floor a hundred foot globe slowly ascended until it was the dominant feature in the room aside from the throne. For a moment the perfect sphere was blank, and then information began to flood into it. It molded into a perfect replica of the Earth, and around it a thin shimmering light sprang to light. ¡°The Veil is weakening,¡± Their Father wasted no time in confirming their worst fears. ¡°I have spoken with Behemoth. He and his people will do their duty to stem the flow of the Infernals into Eden, but he cannot stop them all. Michael had met Behemoth, one of the two giant beasts born during the War of Rebellion. He was a massive creature of brute strength and power equal to any archangel. He and his offspring were charged with patrolling the Veil. During peacetime, Michael actually found him to be very pleasant and fun to be around. The fact that it was the purpose of their creation didn¡¯t matter. Michael didn¡¯t want to see more innocents butchered for pointless reasons. ¡°My Little Ox may not be able to stop them all, but he will be able to tell us where they are headed. We will deploy our resources accordingly and defeat the Infernals.¡± It was a straightforward plan with anything but straightforward execution. Tens of thousands, maybe even millions of Infernals were going to be popping up all over Eden. The Host would be spread thin, and there were only so many troops they could deploy to Eden without dangerously weakening Heaven. ¡°I have secured assurances with Fey.¡± God referred to the primordial Lord of the Fairy Realms. ¡°He knows I would be displeased if he aides my wayward children, so he has pledged his neutrality and closed his borders.¡± That was a breath of fresh air. Nothing had gone according to plan so far. ¡°Gabriel will reach out to the Elder Races.¡± God referred to the Remnants of Eden¡¯s prior hierarchy. ¡°They will need to decide what kind of world the wish to live in: a world of peace, or a world of pain.¡± Michael hoped the Remnants made the right decision. He had no doubt Satan¡¯s minions would be approaching them as well with promises to take back the realm their Father had taken from them. Michael didn¡¯t envy his brother. ¡°Castor, are your troops prepared.¡± ¡°Yes, Father.¡± Castor bowed. ¡°We have several quick reaction forces ready to deploy once we hear from Behemoth. They will be able to plug the holes within minutes.¡± ¡°Good.¡± God nodded and gazed intently at the map. ¡°Michael, you need to start marshalling the main body of the Host.¡± More sadness leaked into God¡¯s eyes as he spoke those words. ¡°The battlefield for the future of these realms will be Eden. I will not allow the bloodshed to spill into Heaven and affect the eternal peace these souls have earned. ¡°The humans¡­¡± Michael couldn¡¯t stop the outburst. ¡°I know.¡± God waved his hand to silence his general. ¡°We will bring them into the fold in time, but we do not want to spread fear and panic. It will only fuel and embolden the Infernals.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Michael knew his Father was right. ¡°May I suggest alerting key leaders: the Pope, presidents, and prime ministers of the world¡¯s primary powers? This will allow them to develop plans when Armageddon finally occurs.¡± ¡°Armageddon.¡± God¡¯s face soured at the word. ¡°I never liked the name, and I¡¯m sorry I ever let those thoughts be heard.¡± He shook his head had rubbed his temple. ¡°Permission granted. Begin alerting key leadership to the coming disasters.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± It would be a living hell for Michael to sit in Heaven administrating the preparations for the Divine Host while humans suffered and died by the droves. Now, he could at least give them a fighting chance. ¡°Father, I beseech you to¡­¡± Castiel began. ¡°NO!¡± Heaven and Earth rumbled at God¡¯s outburst. ¡°You are not going to lead an attack on Hell. You cannot comprehend the risks of such an operation.¡± ¡°But, Father, you cannot win a war playing defense. We must¡­¡± ¡°Enough!¡± God cut off Castiel again. ¡°I will not hear any more of this. The answer is no.¡± With the issue closed he dismissed the small war council. ¡°Ensure you see your sister at the Healing Garden, Michael.¡± God left those parting words as he vanished into thin air along with Amenadiel and Zebadiah. Castiel remained as he took up a sentinel position in front of the throne. His stone-cold stare dared Michael to do anything but leave. ¡°Brother,¡± he inclined his head to the vigilant Seraph and walked toward the exit. Time in the Healing Gardens sounded good about now while they were empty. He doubted it would be like that for long. *** God reappeared instantaneously in the same Healing Gardens he suggested Michael visit. The ?ther responded to his presence by rushing toward him. He ran his hand through the air to comfort it like a man would a faithful pet. Knowing all was well with its Master, the ?ther dispersed back into the Gardens. God sighed and stopped himself from pinching his nose in frustration. Instead, he smiled as the people seeking healing began to congregate. It wasn¡¯t uncommon to see him walking these Garden¡¯s. His ?ther reinforced them, sped the recovery of his injured children, and was a place for peace of mind in realms continually marked with chaos. If he was being honest with himself, he was tired and needed these Gardens as much as the injured. He¡¯d been doing this literally since the beginning of time. With each new creation, he hoped things would be better, but they never were. There was always war driven by any number of reasons. That was why he created Heaven in the first place. It was supposed to be a sanctuary of higher thinking, peace, and eternal prosperity. Then his favorite children had rebelled, he banished them from his creation, and ever since then the constant threat of their invasion had haunted him. No amount of power could put at ease a father¡¯s mind when it came to the evil proclivities of his wayward children. A true smile spread across his face as he found the person he was looking for. She sat perfectly still on a plain wooden bench overlooking a glistening pool. Fish from the farthest reaches of the cosmos populated the pool and lived in harmony. He could see her eyes following one of the fish as it swam in a continuous circle. Another fish joined it, and they swam in tandem for a short time before breaking apart. ¡°Hello, Ava.¡± His words shocked her out of her trance. ¡°Father¡­¡± Adoration crossed her face. God held out his arms and the young Dominion jumped into them and began to weep. ¡°Shhh¡­shhhh¡­.it¡¯s ok.¡± He ran his finger comfortingly through her hair until she¡¯d shed all of her tears. Then he took her by the shoulders and held her at arm¡¯s length. ¡°You did so well, Ava, and I am so sorry.¡± The congratulations and condolence caused a fresh wave of tears that took time to overcome. ¡°May I¡­can I see her?¡± Ava knew her daughter, Maria, had lived a good life. She¡¯d fought on the side of the angels against the evil in the world. When she died, some part of her must have been drawn to Heaven. That was Ava¡¯s hope. She also knew her daughter¡¯s death had been used to power a trio of ?therial conduits that helped break a Seal and fray the Veil beyond repair. ¡°In time,¡± God replied, and Ava cried again. She might not be able to see her daughter now, but her Father¡¯s statement told her that some part of Maria had survived that brutal night. ¡°Let me see.¡± God extended his hand palm up. Ava gingerly raised her partially reformed arm and handed it to her Father. She had lost a lot of ichor and ?ther in the battle outside Charlotte. Some had been siphoned away by an abomination, most had been expended, and some had just been expelled and absorbed into Eden¡¯s ?ther. It was a terrible loss, but what really mattered was that she was safe. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to ask this of you, but you must go back.¡± God felt her body tighten at the statement. ¡°Bad things are coming, and I need someone who knows the area, and the people to be at the tip of my spear. We cannot let the Infernals take back what Maria fought valiantly to protect.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± she sniffed and wiped her eyes. ¡°But I will not let you go back empty handed.¡± He smiled and Ava giggled at the bad pun. In the last day, God had collected ?ther from billions of human souls praying for his assistance. He took some of that power and channeled it into Ava. A warm glow gradually spread down her arm. The warmth built until it became painful, and quickly that pain became unbearable. It seared up her arm and into her brain. She screamed and thrashed, but her Father held her tight in his arms. As quickly as the pain was there, it vanished. She choked out a few breaths and blinked the tears from her eyes. The Healing Gardens ?ther washed over her and put her at ease. ¡°I am sorry,¡± God smiled down at her, ¡°but now you have the means to fight back.¡± Ava followed his glance down to her hand. Instead of soft, snow-white skin, her new hand glinted metallic gold. ¡°Oh my god.¡± She stared openmouthed at the miracle. God just smiled down at her for a moment before getting up to leave. He had two realms to govern, and despite wanting to, couldn¡¯t hang around in the Gardens all day. She registered him going, but was too engrossed with her new appendage. She knew what it was, she knew the legends surrounding it, but she¡¯d never seen it before. She was now the wielder of a Hand of God, a powerful Divine weapon bestowed upon champions of her Father in times of crisis. The last recorded one was during the Conquest of Eden, and was rumored to have assisted in slaying several of that realm¡¯s champions. She didn¡¯t know what to say, or think, or feel; except this had to be some sort of promotion, and her life had just gotten that much harder. Recovery ¡°Look into the light.¡± ¡°Mr. Fuller, please follow my pen light please.¡± The Doctor waved the small, bright, white light back and forth right in front of his face to regain his attention. th, 1992, and I¡¯m from Boston, Massachusetts. My name is Gerald Fuller¡­> It took him a second to realize the Doctor was talking to him. The last week felt like it had passed in a haze. He was in an out of consciousness, and he wasn¡¯t sure why. Nothing really hurt, as far as he could tell he wasn¡¯t injured, but an inescapable exhaustion seemed to have seeped into his bones. It felt like the worst case of Mono ever. ¡°Please, Mr. Fuller, we need to assess you for possible traumatic brain injury. It¡¯s incredible you survived unharmed, but you were found unconscious, and you¡¯ve only stopped dropping in and out of consciousness over the last few days. We need to rule out any head trauma before you¡¯re released.¡± ¡°Yeah, sorry,¡± Gerry sighed and shook his head. Since he¡¯d woken up in a pile of rubble, only bits and pieces of his memory had come back to him. He¡¯d learned his name, date of birth, and where he resided from his Driver¡¯s License. He learned he liked being called Gerry instead of Gerald because the dozens of people who interviewed him called him Gerald and it just felt wrong. The cops, the fire department, the Army, the FBI, it didn¡¯t matter who they were. They¡¯d all taken their turns sitting beside his hospital bed with fake smiles, and even faker attitudes. Even their words felt fake in his ears. On top of that, they all asked the same questions, and were pissed when he gave them all the same answers: ¡°I didn¡¯t see anything. I don¡¯t remember anything. What do you not understand about that?¡± ¡°The first thing I remember is some guy pulling me out of the rubble and me being buck-ass naked.¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t see two giant creatures fighting outside my building. I¡¯m not fucking crazy.¡± The last answer got him a lot of unsure stares. Apparently, not believing in three-hundred-foot dueling monsters made him the weird one. Gerry shook off the recent memories and refocused on the cute Doctor. At least she normally would have been cute. She looked like she was going on seventy-two hours without sleep, and the only thing keeping her on her feet was a coffee IV. He focused on the light even as it burned his retina. BURNING It felt like something grabbed his head and started to squeeze. A memory burst inside his mind like a water balloon filled with acid, but it wasn¡¯t complete. There were shadows, blank spots, and scenes seemed to shift around with no coherent focus. What he remembered was pain; searing agonizing pain that started in his chest and seemed to consume everything. He tried to catalogue what he was seeing, but it all slipped away as soon as he thought he had it. He could feel the pain like an echo, and his hand shot to his heart. ¡°Mr. Fuller¡­Mr. Fuller, are you ok?¡± The Doctor moved the light away from his face and pulled her stethoscope from around her neck. She put it to his chest and listened. ¡°Your heart is going a mile a minute. Just calm down, Mr. Fuller.¡± Gerry imagined himself reaching out and yanking the Doctor¡¯s head to the side and spinning it one hundred and eighty degrees around. After the brief hallucination of destruction, the murderous daydream should have cranked his confusion and anxiety up another notch. Instead, the imagined violence seemed to soothe him. ¡°It¡¯s ok, Mr. Fuller. You survived something traumatic, but you¡¯re safe now.¡±If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Somewhere deep in his gut, Gerry didn¡¯t believe a word she was saying. ¡°Normally, I¡¯d keep you another night for observation, but we really don¡¯t have the room. I¡¯ll have them process your paperwork and we¡¯ll get you out of here,¡± she gave him a weak smile and opened the door out of his room. The screams of pain, the cries of the desperate, and the sounds of medical technology floated in before she shut the door. Gerry only caught a small glimpse of the hallway lined with beds. A few had spare sheets thrown over the recently deceased until they could be moved, and some faces were new, but other than that nothing had changed. Every inch of the hospital was filled to the brim. They were operating beyond capacity and anyone else being pulled from the rubble was getting shipped nearly to Greensboro or Columbia depending on what side of the city they were found on. After a week of searching, those finds were getting few and far between. Any longer and all they were going to find were starved and dehydrated corpses. All things considered, the hospitals around Charlotte were lucky. They were closing in on one hundred thousand confirmed casualties, but less than one percent of those were injured. Ninety-nine percent went to the morgues. It was a morose way to look at it, but if there were more injured and less dead every hospital within hundreds of miles would have been overrun with patients. As it was now, they were doing ok with the help of the extra Red Cross and FEMA mobile aid stations that had been shipped in. As he sat there waiting for his discharge paperwork, Gerry heard people crying, cursing, and just wondering why this was happening. ¡°What did we do to deserve this?¡± was the most common phrase uttered. There was a sense of gloom hovering over the hospital, and the entire city, but Gerry didn¡¯t feel any of that. He didn¡¯t feel bad for anyone. He didn¡¯t question why any of this had happened. In fact, he felt a sense of justice; like this was supposed to happen. He didn¡¯t say any of this out loud because people would have beaten him to death in his sleep, but coupled with the hallucinations and violent daydreams he seriously wondered if something inside him had snapped. Even sitting here and waiting he wanted to end of the other men in the room. The guy snored in his sleep, and Gerry¡¯s mind kept dancing back and forth between murder by blunt force trauma or smothering him with his drool-covered pillow. ¡°Mr. Fuller.¡± The Doctor finally returned with a stack of paperwork, and ended the fantasies. ¡°I just need you to review these and sign here.¡± The hospital had killed a whole lot of trees just to say that once he left the hospital nothing that happened was the hospital¡¯s fault. Since he wanted to get the hell out of here, he didn¡¯t waste any time signing. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Fuller, I hope we don¡¯t see you back here.¡± ¡°You and me both, Doc.¡± He gave her a wink, gave the snoring man one last look, and then slid off the bed and onto his feet. Gerry knew instinctually he was a powerfully built man: six-four with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, legs like twin tree trunks, and well-developed muscles all across his body. The Doctor coughed and turned away as red spread through her cheeks. Gerry was similarly gifted below the belt. He literally ripped off the hospital gown with the embarrassing opening at the back, and shrugged into a set of clothing the Red Cross volunteers had brought him. The gray sweatpants looked like someone had used them for painting at some point, but they fit his large quads even if he had to cinch them tight at the waist. The T-Shirt was a XXXL and felt like a tent even with his big frame, but it was better than the gown. There was a shortage of shoes, but a company had donated footwear called Crocs that were easy to slip on. His were highlighter yellow and they didn¡¯t go with his paint-stained, too-large ensemble. He had no idea what ¡®worst¡¯ he was thinking of, but he was confident this was nothing but a mild embarrassment. Lastly, he gathered the wallet that was on his bedside table. They found nothing else near him when they¡¯d found him, so this was literally the only thing on Earth he owned. Still, he felt he¡¯d be alright. He gave the room one last look and his gaze focused on the snoring man. Something inside of Gerry pulled him toward the vulnerable sleeper. All it would take was a few pounds of pressure and the snoring would end forever. He could feel the urge to kill the man building in his gut, and even worse, he knew by doing that he would get something in return. Whatever it was, it would be worth it. He took a step toward the man¡­and the door burst open. ¡°Coming through!¡± A nurse shoved him out of the way as a four-person team carted a new patient into the room and plopped him on Gerry¡¯s old bed. ¡°You, get out of here.¡± She shooed him away, and the tired but fierce look on her face spurred him into motion. The sun was setting outside, and he had nowhere to stay tonight. He didn¡¯t know anyone, he barely knew himself, and he wasn¡¯t going to be reaching the home on his license anytime soon. He¡¯d seen reports on the news. That is where he would spend the night and then figure out what to do in the morning. The hallway was packed with beds and people trying to move around: cops, EMTs, armed soldiers, and the hospital¡¯s medical staff all jostled each other around as they walked down the hallway. Gerry adding his bulk to that didn¡¯t help, so he kept his head down and avoided other people¡¯s eyes. Something in his gut told him he didn¡¯t want to draw any attention. He did such a good job of ignoring people that he missed the two young women that stopped and did a one-eighty at the sight of him. ¡°Well, spank my ass and call me Shirley,¡± the teenage girl pushing a bed, handed over the task to her accomplice, pivoted, and started to follow him out of the building. Volunteer The last week had been the worst in Vicky¡¯s one hundred and four years. Seven days ago she¡¯d been Victoria, Vampire Queen of Charlotte, Homecoming Queen, Lieutenant to the Dux, and overall badass. Now, she was just another Soulless chick in the city formerly known as Charlotte. Half a million bucks in cash for the identity of her homework bitch. Vicky hadn¡¯t gotten something so effortlessly in her entire life. Then, things went downhill a bit. That same homework bitch turned out to be a Nephilim ¨C a half-human, half-angel hybrid ¨C that almost killed her. Then, things took an upturn when said homework bitch got staked through the heart: on a sacrificial alter, in the middle of her school gym, at the homecoming dance, as part of some Infernal ritual. That was supposed to be mission accomplished, but then shit got real. Infernal Lords of Hell and Archangels started coming out the woodwork for a battle royale that Vicky didn¡¯t stand a chance of surviving, so she got the hell out of there as fast as her immortal legs would carry her. She¡¯d prepared form something like this. Not necessarily Michael and Satan going at it in downtown Charlotte, but a point in time when her coven would need to go underground for a while. It was sheer, dumb luck that the safe house she chose to hunker down in was on the outskirts of the city. She hadn¡¯t been buried underneath mountains of shit. Half of her coven had ended up that way, and when the sun came out the next day they died like the rest of the humans that were trapped in the rubble. Now, Vicky wasn¡¯t queen of shit. She was just another refugee trying to piece her life back together after a single night ruined over a century of hard work. On the bright side, and she was struggling to find an upside to anything that had happened in the last week, hunting was easy. People were packed into little tent cities in open fields, so no one noticed if someone disappeared during the night. The remaining dozen members of her coven were well fed, strong, and awaiting further orders. The problem was that no orders came, and with all of her businesses destroyed that left her with only one real goal: repopulate. Hospitals were the best place to start. The desperate and dying whose mortal coil was about to be cut were always a good source of recruits. Five other Soulless, indistinguishable from humans in the daytime, gathered around her at the entrance. ¡°Everyone bring me one recruit. I¡¯ll evaluate them back at the camp. Either we¡¯ll roll the dice and turn them, or they¡¯ll be breakfast.¡± That got a small chuckle. ¡°I want everyone in buddy teams. No one goes anywhere alone, so pair up. Elisa, you¡¯re with me.¡± Elisa was the former manager of her adult entertainment business. She¡¯d only been a Soulless for a few years, and looked to be in her mid-twenties compared to Vicky¡¯s eighteen. She had OCD, which made her a great accountant and manager, but not great at walking the apocalyptic wasteland of Charlotte. Vicky was the first to admit she was a little protective of the younger Soulless, and only part of that was her usefulness once they could get their business empire back up and running. They already had a little side business going in the ten cities. You could destroy a city, but the oldest profession never really died, so she was making lemonade with a bunch of lemons that had been eaten, shit out, and sat on by a Mamma June lookalike before she got a hold of them. Vicky was a survivor, she¡¯d come out of this on top. ¡°Can I help you?¡± A disgruntled nurse stepped right in front of Vicky before she took three steps through the door. ¡°M¡­m¡­my¡­mom. I can¡¯t find her.¡± Vicky turned on the waterworks and buried herself in Elisa¡¯s chest. They didn¡¯t look like sisters. Elisa had dark, chalky skin and Vicky looked like a porcelain doll, but despite that the nurse¡¯s demeanor thawed. ¡°Head down to administration and they¡¯ll help you look.¡± The nurse placed a hand on both girls¡¯ shoulders and walked away. Vicky decided administration was as good a place to start as any. Together, they walked the crowded hallways of the injured and dying. Vicky had ordered everyone on her scouting party to feed before leaving. Being in a place with so much blood was like a diabetic with shitty impulse control walking into a candy shop. It was a recipe for disaster. Being fed would help mitigate that risk. They found administration and walked right past the busy desk. They found a stairwell that led up and took that. Only after the door closed did they realize it electronically locked and you needed a key card. ¡°Crap,¡± Vicky muttered, but headed upstairs anyway. ¡°We¡¯ll start at the top and work our way down.¡± They had to wait for ten minutes at the top floor before a middle-aged woman exited. ¡°What are you two¡­¡± ¡°Give me your clip board, ID card, and white coat.¡± Vicky filled her words with power and influence. The woman¡¯s jaw dropped and her eyes glazed over as the compulsion worked its way into her mind. Vicky felt the exertion take a toll. She¡¯d never met a Soulless under a hundred years old who could compel humans, and at a hundred and four she was brand new to this ability. It felt like she¡¯d skipped breakfast and lunch ¨C normal and blood ¨C by the time the woman handed over the coat, clipboard, and ID. ¡°Go take a two hour nap in the breakroom and forget this ever happened.¡± Hunger exploded in Vicky¡¯s gut as she handed the coat and ID to Elisa. ¡°What?¡± The younger vampire looked confused. ¡°I look I should be at cheerleading practice.¡± Vicky waved her hands to show her teenage body. ¡°You can pass for a doctor, or at least a med student who¡¯s helping out with the disaster. I¡¯ll be your assistant.¡± She took the clipboard while Elisa put on the doctor¡¯s attire. ¡°Ok, Doctor Miller,¡± Vicky read the name stenciled in blue thread on the coat, ¡°let¡¯s do rounds.¡± Vicky didn¡¯t know what rounds really entailed, but she watched Grey¡¯s Anatomy before the show started to suck, and she was going to put all that knowledge to use. Step one was to get her blood. There were plenty of people near death, so she just quickened along the process. Once she was fed, and Elisa confirmed there wasn¡¯t any blood splattered on her clothes or face, they got back to work finding potential candidates to reform the ranks of her coven.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. The top two floors didn¡¯t hold any promising candidates, and Vicky had to use more compulsion to make them forget. The ones who didn¡¯t look like they¡¯d last the night she killed to replenish the energy she lost. It was a lather, rinse, and repeat type of night until they reached floor number three. There they found a willing participant. ¡°I¡­I¡¯m never going to walk again.¡± According to her chart, the young woman was thirty-three, and had been in good health before a falling piece of masonry had crushed her legs into a million tiny pieces. Her record said she ran marathons. ¡°You¡¯re never going to get out of bed again. I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re alive at all.¡± Elisa played the part of concerned doctor checking the chart very well. ¡°There is nothing we can do but make you comfortable.¡± ¡°I¡¯d get used to having someone help you onto the crapper though,¡± Vicky stepped in when the woman was on the verge of tears. ¡°I¡¯ve hope you¡¯ve got enough saved for in-home care or you¡¯re going to end up in some type of assisted living.¡± Vicky had found the woman¡¯s Facebook page while Elisa was talking to her and read her like a book: consummate professional, working her way up the corporate ladder by forgoing family. Her parents were dead and no boyfriend. It was all about the job for her. In short, she was someone no one would miss, and if her company did come calling, a quick explanation that she died from complications sustained in the unexplainable event would be enough for them. The woman was crying now. Her whole life had changed. When people were like this, when their hope was dimmest, that was when Vicky gave her speech. ¡°The way I see it you¡¯ve got two choices. One, you become a vegetable hermit living in your assisted living center bed and watching Netflix until your mind eats itself and you want to eat a bullet. That way sucks, and I prefer door number two. That door will let me heal you and make you better than you were before.¡± Vicky smiled, but didn¡¯t show fang just yet. ¡°Better?¡± the potential vampire candidate wiped away a few tears. ¡°Like an experimental treatment.¡± Vicky couldn¡¯t stop a short laugh from escaping. ¡°No. There is nothing human medicine can do for you. What I¡¯ll do is drain you of your blood until you¡¯re nearly dead. Then I¡¯ll feed you some of my blood. Next will be horrible, excruciating pain. You¡¯ll want to die. You¡¯ll beg me to kill you, and after a little I will. Then, twenty-four to thirty-six hours later you¡¯ll open your eyes and be faster, stronger, and smarter than you ever were as a human.¡± Now Vicky let her fangs slowly slide down from her gums. The woman¡¯s eye¡¯s bulged, but she didn¡¯t scream. That was always a good sign. ¡°You¡­you¡­are you¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, but if you¡¯ve read any teen novel in the past thirty years you¡¯ve got the wrong idea.¡± Vicky didn¡¯t elaborate anymore about the process. The truth was that she knew what happened after she killed the candidate, and it was something not many Soulless were aware of. After the candidate received a vampire¡¯s blood, a link to Satan¡¯s realm was created and their soul was literally sucked down to Hell. The curse the Infernal Lord developed kept the body intact, and over the twenty-four to thirty-six hour timeframe a new construct for them to hold ?ther harvested from humans was developed. If the new vampire awoke from the process, which only one in ten did, they would be mad with hunger. None of that fit in well with the rest of the sale¡¯s pitch. ¡°So, what do you think?¡± Vicky held out her hands and smiled. ¡°You want to live forever?¡± There was only a moment¡¯s hesitation before the answer, ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Excellent!¡± Vicky clapped, and blurred over to the candidate¡¯s side. ¡°My name is Vicky. I¡¯m the leader of the local coven, so I¡¯ll be your new boss when you come out of this.¡± ¡°Mary.¡± The woman replied, and even held out her hand with the wrist up. Vicky thought before turning away the person¡¯s wrist. ¡°I¡¯m not going to bite you wrist or neck.¡± She shook her head and smiled at Mary. ¡°Those are the first places people look. You¡¯ll be dead, sure, but for us to get you out of here someone is going to have to confirm that. Checking your neck or wrist for a pulse when there are two fang marks raises suspicions, and after what those assholes did we¡¯re kind of on humanities radar.¡± ¡°Vampires did all this.¡± Mary¡¯s eyes widened at her potential perceived future power. ¡°Shit no.¡± Vicky moved around the bed until she was in position. ¡°That was the Divine and Infernals. They¡¯re the top dogs. Both are kind of dicks, and they¡¯re dragging the whole supernatural community into the open with their bitching and moaning.¡± Vicky moved quickly and yanked Mary¡¯s legs open. The woman gave a blood-curdling scream that was snuffed out by Elisa putting her hand over Mary¡¯s mouth. The sun had officially set, and their superhuman strength was back. ¡°We bite here.¡± Vicky located the femoral artery on the inside of her thigh. ¡°I know it¡¯s kinky, but it¡¯s the last place people look.¡± With a century¡¯s worth of expertise, Vicky plunged her fangs into Mary¡¯s thigh. The woman only thrashed above the waist thanks to her injury, but Elisa easily held her in place. Vicky drank deeply until she felt Mary reach the precipice between life and death. She pulled out from between her legs, used a hand to stop what little bleeding would occur, and slashed open her fingertip with her fang. Elisa removed her hand from Mary¡¯s mouth, and Vicky shoved her finger down the paraplegic woman¡¯s throat. Mary didn¡¯t even gag she was that close to death. Vicky felt she¡¯d hit the sweet spot. If the candidate wasn¡¯t near-dead enough then the transformation wouldn¡¯t work. If the candidate was already drained dry, then they were just dead. ¡°Drink up,¡± Vicky commanded and Mary sucked weekly at her finger. The effect wasn¡¯t instantaneous, and Vicky worried she¡¯d failed, but then Mary started to cry and thrash like she¡¯d been set on fire. She bit down hard on Vicky¡¯s finger, and only succeeded in cracking her teeth on the granite-like skin. Vicky pulled her finger out and held her hand over Mary¡¯s mouth to keep her relatively quiet. The monitors next to the woman¡¯s bed were going crazy. Her pulse was over two hundred and climbing. Vicky didn¡¯t remember the pain from over a century ago, but she remembered the immense gratitude she felt toward the person who¡¯d killed her and put her out of her misery. ¡°Pillow.¡± She commanded, and Elisa handed over what only a hospital would call a pillow. ¡°Hold her down.¡± Elisa¡¯s hand clamped down on Mary¡¯s arms, while Vicky planted one hand on Mary¡¯s chest and used the other to hold the pillow over her nose and mouth. ¡°Good girl. Everything is gonna be alright.¡± Vicky quoted Bob Marley as Mary¡®s struggles grew weaker and weaker until she fell still and alarms started to blare. ¡°Code Blue!¡± Elisa stuck her head out into the hall. A team was already pushing through the crowd with a crash cart. ¡°Ignore us.¡± Vicky ordered them all as they came in and wondered what the two girls were doing in this woman¡¯s room. The team immediately obeyed, and Vicky was so flush with blood she didn¡¯t even notice the compulsion¡¯s expenditure. The team worked on Mary, but it wouldn¡¯t work. Her soul was being claimed, and there was nothing a group of humans could do about it. ¡°I¡¯m calling it.¡± The man in charge looked haggard but emotionless. ¡°Time of death, seven eleven.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll take it from here.¡± Vicky put a little less power into this set of instructions. More like a forced suggestion than an order. ¡°You two, take it from here.¡± The team leader pointed at Vicky and Elisa before ordering the team out of the room and off to try and save some other life. ¡°Easy peasy.¡± Vicky disengaged the brakes on the rolling bed and maneuvered Mary¡¯s body out into the hallway. They¡¯d know in a day or so if Mary would be the newest member of the Charlotte Vampire Coven. Vicky was so busy pushing the bed that she nearly missed him. His eyes were down and he was avoiding eye contact. She would have completely missed him if the highlighter yellow Crocs hadn¡¯t caught her eye. Even then she had to do a double take. she watched the battle at the school from a distance. She¡¯d seen who¡¯d lived and died, and the person walking down the hospital hallway was definitely dead. ¡°Well, spank my ass and call me Shirley.¡± She handed the bed over to Elisa. ¡°Take care of her. I¡¯ve got someone I need to catch up with.¡± Vicky peeled away and followed Gerry from a distance just in case it wasn¡¯t him. A few minutes of tailing the man and she was positive the Dux of Charlotte was still alive and kicking. Having a Dux meant they¡¯d have a plan, and having any sort of direction was something her coven desperately needed now. Retreat Hell ¡°Son of a bitch! Cease fire!¡± Gaius roared, but he was too far away, and the fog of battle was everywhere. The shores of the Styx were complete chaos. Gaius saw no less than a dozen pontoon bridges spanning the mighty river. Soldiers flowed across those bridges to march on Seere¡¯s besieged Keeps. The loyal soldiers manning those Keeps were fighting for their lives. To them, anything and everything was a target, including a few hundred unknown men flying toward them. Gaius tucked his wings in and dived. He was a moment too late. ¡°Ugh!¡± The nearest shell exploded and he felt it rip into the armor of his flank. His power went to work healing the wound, but even that small amount would be sorely missed. He needed every drop available to hold together the Kingdom. The five soldiers around him weren¡¯t as lucky. Their lifeless bodies fell from the sky as Gaius and what remained of his guard flew under the exploding shells and toward the Keep where General Lee¡¯s banner flew. The structure wasn¡¯t much more than a large tower with a stone wall surrounding it and a large courtyard. The courtyard was hard, dry, flattened clay worn down by thousands of boots. It was packed with soldiers rotating up onto the ramparts to fight and die. ¡°Archers!¡± Gaius cringed as he heard the command. If the defenders were down to using archers their status was dire. ¡°Belay that order!¡± A familiar figure stepped out from the Infernal Iron gate of the tower and waved off the hundred men pointing poison-tipped arrows up at Gaius. ¡°Make a hole!¡± He made a sweeping gesture and the men scattered. The emptiness formed a landing zone. Gaius landed hard and sent spider-web cracks across the ground. He was winded, but he didn¡¯t want to show weakness around the troops. He stood tall as he surveyed them, but he instinctually felt his side where the exploding shells had cut through his armor. It was still slick with fresh blood, but the skin had knit itself back together beneath. ¡°General Icilius.¡± General Lee approached. The general commanding the defense of the Styx was not a large man. His hair and beard were long, white, and his face was too kind to belong in Hell. Despite being in Hell less than two centuries, the renowned military strategist had risen quickly to command his own legion. Most of that original legion had been hacked to pieces defending the banks of the Styx, and only his ability to outmaneuver the enemy was keeping them alive. Even that seemed to be coming to an end. ¡°General Lee.¡± The two generals shook hands openly. Normally, such a casual exchange was just asking for a dagger in the chest, but these were desperate times. ¡°Please follow me.¡± General Lee waved for Gaius to follow him. ¡°See to these soldiers. They¡¯ve fought well and traveled a long way.¡± He commands his own troops to assist what remained of Gaius¡¯ guard. No one approached Gaius or the throne on his back. Lee didn¡¯t even bring it up until they were alone in his war room. ¡°So, the Capitol has fallen.¡± It wasn¡¯t a question but a statement. ¡°Yes,¡± Gaius sighed as he eased the golden throne off his back and plopped down onto it. To sit on Seere¡¯s throne was blasphemy of the highest order, and would have resulted in the swift removal of his head, but with Seere gone no one gave a shit. All Lee did was raise an eyebrow. ¡°Can we use that?¡± Gaius just shook his head. They¡¯d tried everything before retreating from the Capitol. Nothing had worked. Even in the war room, in the depths of the Keep, the constant barrage of artillery pounded the area like thunder. Gaius gauged it at a shot every five seconds. A quick bit of simple mathematics and¡­ ¡°We¡¯re almost out of ammunition.¡± Lee got there first. He spread his hand over a stretched piece of velum and the battlefield sprang into view. ¡°Only six of the keeps are still standing.¡± It was worse than Gaius suspected. ¡°We¡¯re holding the line here.¡± Lee drew a blood-red line across the map. ¡°I¡¯ve got interlocking fields of fire so the enemy can¡¯t slip around into our rear. I was hoping for resupply, but if the Capitol has fallen then I guess that is out of the question.¡± ¡°We¡¯re it,¡± Gaius laughed bitterly. ¡°Two hundred men are better than nothing.¡± For a General of Hell, Lee was fairly optimistic. ¡°We need to talk exit strategy.¡± Gaius ran a hand through his dirty, sweat-drenched hair and stepped off the throne. ¡°We need to get as many men and supplies as we can out of here.¡± ¡°And go where?¡± Lee looked at Gaius and crossed his arms across his armored chest. ¡°We have Cain¡¯s forces pressing us hard on the front, but my scouts are reporting more than just his cursed soldiers in the assaults. I¡¯ve had three confirmed sightings of magnificent-looking women riding serpent steeds and slaughtering my men.¡± Gaius cringed at the news. Cain ruled the kingdom directly across the Styx from Seere, but the man cursed by God¡¯s territory was small and his legions were few. He¡¯d used that power wisely over the years and made alliances. The rot in his kingdom made the land inhospitable to others while he still lived, but Seere¡¯s lands were always rich and fertile. Cain made deals with his northern neighbors to stay on their good side. Two kingdoms butted up against Cain¡¯s: Belial¡¯s and Lilith¡¯s. If the reports of women riding serpent steeds were correct, then Lilith was putting some flesh in the game. She¡¯d never been on great terms with Seere, but she was an occasional lover of Lucifer. From what Gaius heard, it was more of a love-hate relationship, but that bond had kept her out of Seere¡¯s hair for centuries. With Seere gone, that arrangement was over. Her titles were: Mother of Serpents and God¡¯s Mistake. To be acknowledged as a mistake by God was the first reason Gaius never wanted to mess with the Infernal Lord. If the rumors were true, Lilith was the first wife of Adam. She¡¯d been the one that tempted her ex-husband with the apple and murdered Eve. Gaius chuckled. She ruled over the Gardens of Decay, a twisted version of God¡¯s original vision of Eden with her own unique touch. Forty nine legions followed her. The souls drawn to her kingdom were malevolent women; women that had been slighted by men and committed acts terrible enough to swing the karmic balance of their souls toward Hell. Everything Gaius had ever heard about her screamed to stay away, and now a vanguard of her warriors were laying siege to his keeps alongside Cain¡¯s skeletal warriors. ¡°Where? Where are we supposed to go?¡± Lee repeated as the Keep rumbled around them. A serious assault was taking place. Gaius tabled the question for the moment as the two generals rushed outside. They hadn¡¯t taken more than two steps outside the door when a flaming pile of bones dropped into the center of the courtyard. ¡°Take cover!¡± They yelled, and followed their own advice. Gaius warped his weakened Infernal Iron armor into a shield, but still leapt behind a wooden cart laden with supplies. He made sure his injured side was facing away from the bones. Two seconds later the bones exploded. Men yelled and screamed for their mothers as bone shrapnel punched through flesh, but that wasn¡¯t the worst of it. Gaius knew those bone bombs, and their lethality wasn¡¯t in the shrapnel. Everyone standing within a few feet of the blast had been killed, but those that were wounded, even lightly, started to convulse and seize on the ground. Their flesh started to rot and roll off their bones as they thrashed around in pain. The bone bomb was infused with Cain¡¯s curse, and dead was a welcome substitute to a life of eternal decay. ¡°Kill them before they turn!¡± Lee roared as he dove into the fray with his cavalry saber. He removed one skeletal soldier in the making¡¯s head, and the things crumbled into ash.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. His men roared and followed their general. The battle was over quick, but the end result was more of Seere¡¯s men dead, and without their Lord¡¯s power they weren¡¯t coming back. ¡°Tighten up the air defense!¡± Lee spewed out orders that his men quickly followed. Gaius had to give the other general credit, his men were going to follow him to the end. Somethings from life followed men into death. Lee was always a popular one. If they weren¡¯t losing a civil war, Gaius would have planted his sword in the man¡¯s spine sooner rather than later, but right now he needed him. Acknowledging that reminded him of the question burning in both of their minds. The generals were heading back into the tower when a great ripping sound shook everything. The ground trembled, the Keep seemed to sway from the shockwave, and the very air vibrated. Both men dropped flat onto the ground in the prone position. It wasn¡¯t a dignified reaction, but if a round of bone bombs had just gone off it was critical to avoid that shrapnel. It wasn¡¯t bone bombs. Bone bombs would lead to terror-filled screaming and pain. The screams of dying men didn¡¯t follow that great ripping sound. Silence did. Gaius scrambled to his feet and back out into the courtyard to take a better look. The men manning the walls had stopped hacking away at the enemy. Their weapons hung limply at their sides as their eyes looked upward. Gaius followed their eyes and found himself staring at a slash of gold that looked like a giant axe had cut into the gray veil that was Hell¡¯s sky. Radiant light streamed through the Rip, which gave it the golden hue, and it was so bright that everyone had to look away after a few seconds. Gaius snapped out of it quicker than the others. ¡°Lee¡­Lee,¡± he shook the other general¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I want every airborne asset you have gathered in this courtyard now!¡± His orders spurred men into action on both sides. The skeletal warriors were getting their own orders. They were falling back. Gaius dashed back into the Keep to where the golden throne sat. He was still large enough to carry it, and he had Lee help strap it between his wings. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± Lee asked as they marched back into the courtyard where armored men with wings were arriving by the dozens. With the fighting on hold, they were able to maneuver more freely. ¡°There,¡± Gaius pointed at the Rip, ¡°that¡¯s the plan. That¡¯s where we are going.¡± Lee looked at the Rip, back at Gaius, up at the Rip again, and then back at Gaius. ¡°You¡¯re insane.¡± He shook his head. ¡°If you go up there you¡¯ll die.¡± ¡°Something tells me I won¡¯t.¡± That something was a gut feeling, but Gaius was willing to roll the dice. After seeing how he¡¯d been lied to about flying over the sea, a lie that had cost him the Capitol, he had to imagine there were other things Seere had kept from his generals. ¡°And you¡¯re going to take all of my air support with you on this suicide run.¡± Lee looked out over the gathered airborne soldiers. They were young and week, the oldest hadn¡¯t been in Hell more than seventy years, and with their Lord¡¯s power gone they wouldn¡¯t get any stronger. It was a piss pour fighting force. ¡°Come with me, Lee.¡± Gaius grabbed the other general¡¯s forearm. ¡°I¡¯ll need you. I¡¯ll need your leadership, and I¡¯ll need your power.¡± He didn¡¯t mind admitting that. Right now, Lee was probably the second strongest person remaining from Seere¡¯s forces. Gaius could put that power to good use. ¡°I won¡¯t leave my men.¡± Lee¡¯s answer was immediate and absolute. ¡°Then you¡¯ll all die.¡± Gaius kept his voice low. Lee knew it, the soldiers knew it, but it wasn¡¯t something the generals should be proclaiming. They executed people for that kind of defeatism. ¡°Then I¡¯ll die with honor.¡± Lee replied, and pulled his arm away from Gaius. ¡°At least give me fire support,¡± Gaius bargained. ¡°Cover me until I enter the Veil.¡± Lee chewed it over for a second. ¡°I¡¯ll cover you until the enemy resumes the attack, but then you¡¯re on your own.¡± Gaius nodded and moved quickly. He didn¡¯t thank Lee. Thanks meant he owed the other general something. Gaius owed him nothing. ¡°Listen up.¡± He stepped into the middle of the formation. The airborne soldiers had crowded the courtyard and forced the foot soldiers against the walls. They were packed in there ass to nuts, but even then Gaius tallied his entire force¡¯s strength at about seven hundred. He focused on the positive. He¡¯d tripled the strength of his remaining guards. ¡°Our mission is that.¡± He pointed at the golden Rip, which was already starting to be overwhelmed by the gray veil. ¡°Be quick, be ruthless, and get it done.¡± There was no cheer from the gathered soldiers. Just nods of acceptance. It was either die up their or die down here. Gaius didn¡¯t care what they thought as long as they followed orders. ¡°Move out!¡± He beat his powerful wings and steadily gained altitude. His men formed up around him in a battle square. The faster scouts flew out ahead and to the flanks for the rising formation. A little warning before an attack was better than nothing. His guard formed up at the core around him. They were better armed and trained. He would willingly sacrifice the riff-raff so those better men could get through. His plan was based completely on conjecture, but you wouldn¡¯t have known that from the look on his face. He¡¯d mastered exuding confidence no matter the situation a millennia ago. ¡°Double-time!¡± He beat his wings twice as fast and picked up the pace. The mass of men moved quickly toward the closing Rip¡­but they weren¡¯t alone. There was a screech from below and three massive creatures lifted off the ground. The three creatures were larger than the Keep¡¯s central tower. These weren¡¯t what Lee¡¯s scouts had seen. These were their big sisters. The serpents had thick armored scales covering their entire body, and clinging to those scales were hundreds of skeletal warriors. About a third of the way down the body giant, leathery wings spread out and beat at the air. From his height, Gaius saw mini cyclones pick up and throw away soldiers that were unfortunate enough to be too close. The flying serpents reared their diamond-shaped heads, complete with two ten-foot fangs descending to the bottom of their jaws, and hissed a Gaius. Giant forked tongues licked the air as the beat their wings faster and headed toward the Rip. At the head of each serpent sat a twenty-foot armored woman steering the massive beasts. Those flying serpents were supposed to be a final deathblow to the Keeps, but the Rip, and Gaius¡¯ rush too it, had diverted them from their original mission. ¡°Intercept them! Hold them off!¡± He passed the orders. There was hesitation before the orders were executed. Gaius kept an eye on the leaders of those units. If they made it out of this alive he¡¯d have their heads. Half of the formation peeled off and charged the serpents. The charge was brave, but pointless. The serpents spit globs of acid at the men. It melted flesh and got under armor. Over a hundred men dropped before they even reached the serpents. Those that did had to deal with the women. One whipped out a giant scythe and decapitated half a dozen men so fast Gaius missed it. Another pulled out duel blades and turned the air around her into a whirlwind of amputated limbs. The last woman used her bare hands to crush skulls and drive her spiked gauntlets through armor. The spikes shrunk and grew at her will. She was the one Gaius was most afraid of, and she was captaining the beast closest to his formation. Those that didn¡¯t get melted by acid or slain by the women were overwhelmed by the skeletal passengers. In minutes, the entire assault force was decimated, but those were precious minutes. Two of the three serpents were stalled by the attack. A few brave soldiers struck some blows on the creatures¡¯ wings before they were taken down. One beast returned to the ground, while the other settled into a hover while its captain looked her over. Only one, the one Gaius most feared, continued its pursuit. Thanks to the sacrificial move, Gaius reached the Rip first. He had to close his eyes as he passed into it. The golden rays were too much for his hellish eyes to take. At first, he didn¡¯t even know he¡¯d passed into the Veil. Nothing felt any different aside from the return of warmth. It felt like all those times he¡¯d been in his Lord¡¯s Great Hall. He opened his eyes just in time to see a giant hoof hurtling toward him. He didn¡¯t even have time to yell a warning. The hoof crashed through the center of his formation, just barely missing him, but it shattered his guard. Dozens were carried to the ground and crushed underneath the massive creature that had suddenly appeared before them. It put the flying serpent to shame. It had a thick, brown armored hide covered in fur. Twin white tusks protruded from its face that held two giant intelligent eyes. Gaius was entranced by those eyes, so captivated that he nearly missed the barbed tail swinging around toward them. His formation was scattered from the first attack, but the tail obliterated three dozen more men as it passed through the air around them. The creature was so massive that anywhere it attached it was going to hit something. ¡°Climb!¡± Gaius couldn¡¯t keep the fear from his voice this time, and no one held it against him. He looked down the get his bearings. The smoky gray Veil was gone. All that was here was wide open plains. It reminded him of the Elysian Fields except no souls tended them, and they didn¡¯t have a giant beast roaming freely. He looked up and his eyes bulged. Tall metal structures were plunging down towards him like daggers. The scenery of another world spread above him all the way to the horizon. The landscape grew greener as it got farther away from the buildings, and little gray lines spread everywhere like arteries away from a beating heart. Another Rip was blazing above them near the tallest metal tower. There were several others standing tall, but most looked jagged and broken. It had all the hallmarks of a battlefield. That was the last place Gaius wanted to be, but it was his only destination. he reminded himself as he pushed himself and his remaining men hard. The great beast made a few more swipes at them, but they¡¯d drawn out of its range, and it had a new target. The flying serpent emerged behind them and the beast bellowed a fresh challenge at the new invader. All that mattered was what lay ahead of him. ¡°Form up! Tighten the formation!¡± He bellowed to the few remaining unit commanders. This time there was no hesitation. They all knew they were heading into the unknown. There was no telling what they were waiting for, but if the visuals were any indication it was another fight. There wasn¡¯t time to do more than consolidate before they reached this Rip, and this time Gaius definitely felt a change. His stomach flip-flopped as the word did a one-eighty. It went from the pleasant, background warmth of this in-between place, to a burst of cold air. Smells assaulted his nose, foreign sounds tried to confuse him, and the golden light of the Rip vanished and was replaced by the Moon. Gaius was momentarily speechless. He¡¯d died under the light of the moon fighting for Caesar. He¡¯d grown up in Rome, the greatest city in the world, but what was below him looked nothing like his old home. A new fear welled up in his gut, and it had nothing to do with civil war, flying serpents, or his diminished fighting force. He was home. He was back on Earth, but it looked just as foreign to him as Cain¡¯s jungle kingdom. Earth wasn¡¯t home. Home was the burning wreck he¡¯d left behind. Reintroductions Gerry knew he was being followed. It was more than just the hairs on the back of his neck sticking up as something in his hindbrain recognized a threat. He felt it in his bones and his body was reacting, but every time he turned around he saw nothing. He didn¡¯t consciously think about taking a circuitous route to the exit. He just did it. Around every corner he checked behind him to see if he saw any pattern. He didn¡¯t find anything, so after delaying his departure for ten minutes he finally reached the exit. He took one last look through one of those big circular mirrors that hid a security camera behind it, but came up empty again. Anger flooded his mind. He felt like a failure for not being able to identify the threat. It was a weird sensation because another part of him said it was stupid to get angry over something so pointless. The two sides went back and forth in his head as the sliding glass door opened and admitted him into the cool evening air. The moon wasn¡¯t high in the sky yet, but it was full, and it was bathing the city in much needed light. Gerry didn¡¯t remember what happened, but it didn¡¯t look good. The power to the hospital was being supplied by a house-sized generator brought in by the Army Corps of Engineers. Dozens of drums were sitting next to it with soldiers in urban camouflage waiting to pour the fuel into to the constantly thirsty tank. He watched them for a second too long because they ended up staring right back. ¡°Gerry.¡± A soft voice whispered behind him, and he totally overreacted. The anger had trickled away, but his vigilance over what he felt in the hospital was in overdrive. He whirled on the voice with arms out and ready to punch or throttle the person. ¡°Fucking hell, Gerry!¡± Whoever it was ducked under his hands and back peddled. She was fast. Part of him urged to press the attack while the other wanted him to step back and take a deep breath. He went with the latter because it was a woman¡­or a girl¡­a very cute girl. ¡°Sorry.¡± He took that deep breath after all and lowered his hands. The girl made a dismissive gesture with her hands and the half-dozen soldiers who¡¯d seen him overreact started to walk back toward the generator with a mix of anger and jealously plastered on their faces. ¡°Don¡¯t be sorry, I¡¯m just happy you¡¯re alive.¡± She smiled and perfectly-white teeth reflected the Moon¡¯s growing light. ¡°So, what the hell happened?¡± She put her hands on her hips and didn¡¯t look like she was moving anytime soon. Everything about the girl felt familiar, but he couldn¡¯t place her. ¡°Um¡­I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re talking about.¡± He shrugged, not knowing what else to tell her. ¡°Is this a can¡¯t tell or won¡¯t tell situation?¡± The girl didn¡¯t take ¡®I don¡¯t know¡¯ for an answer. ¡°Is there some Infernal handshake I don¡¯t know about that will get me access to all the juicy deets?¡± Anger flooded back into him, and being directed at the girl felt right on some deeper level. ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± he let the sentence hang. The girl looked at him like he was retarded. ¡°Victoria¡­Vicky¡± She stopped cocking her hip to the side and stood up straight. ¡°Vampire Queen of Charlotte. Your Lieutenant. Set up that sweet ambush on little Maria, and from the looks of it, Ava whooped your ass. I seriously though one of those angels stomped you back downstairs.¡± She said all of this like he should know it. When he didn¡¯t show any recognition she face palmed. ¡°You¡¯re Gerald Fuller, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what my ID says.¡± ¡°From Boston¡­¡±This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± The anger built with every second she looked at him like he was an idiot. ¡°What do you want?¡± ¡°Ok, you¡¯re starting to mess with my shit now, boss. You¡¯re fucking hilarious, but we need to get organized.¡± She flinched slightly as she said the words, like she expected him to physically react. Part of him wanted to, but another part was cognizant of the soldiers still watching them. ¡°Listen,¡± he said through gritted teeth. ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are, what anything that you said even means, and I sure as shit am not your boss.¡± ¡°Yeah you are.¡± She leaned in and replied just as angrily. ¡°You¡¯re exact words to me were, ¡®I run this shit¡¯, and then you talked about putting me back on my knees if I didn¡¯t get in line.¡± She flexed her fingers to make air quotes. ¡°Don¡¯t go forgetting everything I¡¯ve done for you now. Shit is falling apart and we need you.¡± The anger was tinged with a hint of desperation. Gerry took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose to relieve a bit of stress. He didn¡¯t know anything about this girl, but she seemed to know him. ¡°Assuming that I do know who you are,¡± he made sure she knew that was a big if, ¡°what would I normally do next after this.¡± He waved to show the city¡¯s destruction around them. ¡°Consolidate your forces,¡± she replied without hesitation. ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened to Lono, Jeb, or Jizzabel. I saw you turn that douche angel from Charleston and Lucian into an Infernal-Divine shish kabob, so I wouldn¡¯t show your face south of the border for a while or they¡¯ll think you¡¯re making a power play. As far as I know, Anton made it out, and I can send word to him about you and try to smooth things over.¡± He could sense she wanted to say something. Nothing she¡¯d said so far had the hollowness that the cops, Army, and FBI questioners had, so he felt like she was telling the truth, but there was a difference between the truth and omitted lies. ¡°Spit it out.¡± He snapped. It was clearly meant as an insult, but it got a smile from the girl. If anything, it made him understand the situation even less. ¡°Rumor has it that Seere died in the battle. If Seere died¡­?¡± The name pulled powerfully at his memory, but everything was so jumbled together he couldn¡¯t make sense of it. He just caught flashed of imagery¡­weird imagery¡­like hallucinating during a bad acid trip weird. It physically hurt. He brought a hand to his temple and started massaging clockwise. He grimaced as he pressed his thumb deeper. The pressure eventually faded, but he still couldn¡¯t remember more than all of this was vaguely familiar. ¡°Ok,¡± he ignored the lingering question she¡¯d left unasked. ¡°Consolidation¡­where would we consolidate?¡± ¡°They¡¯ve set up refugee camps to help everyone displaced from the city. I¡¯m staying at one not too far from here. You can regroup there with me until you¡¯re feeling better. You¡¯ll be safe too. I¡¯ve got what¡¯s left of my coven there, so we¡¯ll be able to protect you.¡± Something deep inside Gerry didn¡¯t like that she was trying to protect him. ¡°I¡¯m going to eat these words later,¡± she continued with her own grimace, ¡°but we need you. Hell,¡± she chuckled, ¡°I¡¯ve even got Caroline back at camp. I¡¯ll let you have her for free. Call it a recuperation bonus.¡± Gerry was about to say something when the ground lurched underneath his feet. Two of the soldiers had been lifting a barrel up to the giant generator when the shock happened. One screamed as it rolled off his shoulder, fell, and shattered his foot. His friends rushed to his side while others ran after the barrel that was sloshing gas all over the parking lot. ¡°Make a hole, get the hell out of the¡­¡± the end of the scream was drowned out by a great ripping sound. Gerry felt his eardrums pop like they did with a sudden change in altitude. He worked his jaw up and down and blinked as the weird sensation gradually faded, and that was when he noticed the second source of light. Up in the sky, next to the glowing white of the moon, it looked like a golden sun momentarily lit up the world. The only problem was that gold sun was vomiting little black figures that were getting bigger and bigger as they plunged toward the earth. He couldn¡¯t recall what one looked like, but he knew what they were, and this looked like one, minus the golden glob in the sky. He was still staring up when sirens started to go off everywhere, and a loud voice began giving instructions. ¡°This is the United States Government emergency management system. All citizens need to get inside and shelter in place. I repeat, all citizens need to get inside and shelter in place. This is the United States¡­¡± the message repeated, but Gerry didn¡¯t move. Over by the generator, the soldiers were grabbing weapons and armor. That is what Gerry wanted to be doing, not running and hiding like a coward. ¡°They¡¯re so screwed.¡± Vicky laughed, but she didn¡¯t move from his side. ¡°So, are we going to watch the fireworks or get out of here?¡± ¡°We¡¯re¡­¡± Gerry had made up his mind to get out of there, but something in his perspective shifted. It was like a magnet grabbed a hold of his heart and started to tug at him. It was painful, not debilitating, but its meaning was clear. He needed to go that way, and that way was in the sky and rapidly approaching the ground. He was staring in the direction he needed to go when missile batteries that were transported into the city after the attack opened fire on anything that was coming through the golden rift in the sky. A Whole New World ¡°Not again.¡± Gaius looked below at the streaks heading directly toward him. He didn¡¯t know what they were. This Earth was not the one he¡¯d left behind all those centuries ago, so he did what any good leader did, he looked to the subject matter experts. Everyone in the group was younger than him, some a lot younger, but there was still more than one reaction to the things streaking up toward him. One group coalesced together and formed a flying phalanx. The ones with shields interlocked in the front to put a wall between them and what was flying toward them. To Gaius, they looked vaguely like the bazooka rounds the Legion used, but they didn¡¯t move the same way. The second group of soldiers scattered, but some of the streaks chased them. As they grew closer he could tell they looked like long, metal tubes belching fire and smoke. ¡°Missiles!¡± The youngest among the legionaries screamed and flew in every direction. For a second, Gaius was torn between what to do. Strength in numbers was logical, but without knowing the enemy¡¯s capabilities it could lead to greater casualties. With that in mind, scattering and then reconsolidating felt like the better decision. The fact the remnant of his airborne forces were flying directly at the things didn¡¯t help, but there wasn¡¯t any time to yell orders. Gaius changed directions quickly and dived. It didn¡¯t make any difference. He avoided the missile aimed for him. It passed several feet away, but it still exploded. Fire and searing metal engulfed his body, and he roared with pain. The concussive force of the explosion knocked the throne from his back and sent him tumbling through the air. He couldn¡¯t tell what was up and what was down as pain lanced through his injured side. Some fire and shrapnel had made it through into his flesh. His healing took over, but it took several critical seconds to clear his head. He inhaled sharply and flared his wings to either side. One tugged uncomfortably, almost to the point of breaking, but it held, and the spinning stopped. He immediately scanned the area for more threats and saw a second volley on its way, but it was targeting the other airborne soldiers. The flying phalanx had shattered on impact. The shields helped deflect the shrapnel, but the fire and concussive blast ripped through the closely packed formation. From the looks of it, only a few seemed to be dead, and their lifeless, flaming bodies were plummeting toward the ground. The rest were doing exactly what Gaius did, trying to get their bearings. ¡°Everyone, on the ground!¡± he roared before another wave could cripple them even further. Now, everyone scattered and dove for the shelter of the ground. Gaius looked all around, but he couldn¡¯t see the golden light of his former Lord¡¯s source of power. He made the mistake of hovering in place for a few seconds too long. The first bullet¡¯s hammered into him before he saw the tracer rounds. They didn¡¯t penetrate his armor, but he wasn¡¯t braced for the impact, so the force of multiple hits bashed him across the sky. ¡°General!¡± A battered squad of four legionnaires surrounded him with shields raised and the hammering stopped. ¡°Get to the ground and eliminate the threat!¡± Gaius temper flared and his power made his body swell. He was going to kill the pesky humans who pecked at him like annoying bugs. He pushed himself and the soldiers towards the nearest humans. Two of the legionnaires led the way why he continued to build his power. The legionnaires held their shields and deflected most of the incoming rounds. A few found their marks and the legionnaires cried out in pain as blood splashed backward onto Gaius, but he didn¡¯t care. If they started to falter he pushed them forward. Rage fueled him toward his goal. That goal was a prepared position manned by a squad of scrambling soldiers. Gaius vaguely recognized the .50 caliber machine gun surrounded by a ring of sandbags, and the guns the soldiers were wielding were similar to what skirmishers in the Legion were armed with. He landed hard, cratering the asphalt, and pushed the two now-injured legionnaires into position to block the incoming fire. His whole body was straining with power now. ¡°Go around,¡± he commanded the other two. They leapt into the air, deflecting bullets with their shields, and drew some fire from Gaius and the two wounded men. The big machine gun went from firing three-to-five-round bursts to unleashing an unending torrent of metal as Gaius drew closer. He held the two legionnaires in front of them. When they tried to retreat after taking multiple hits, he grabbed them by the back of their breastplates and pushed them forward. They died screaming as he used them as sacrificial shields. When he was close enough to the enemy position, he slid one body close to his chest to cover the damage in his armor, and tossed the other straight into the group of humans. His dead legionnaire hit the emplacement like an artillery shell. Sandbags burst and tossed clumps of sand into the air as the dead legionnaire plowed through them. The human soldiers were bowled over. Most were killed outright when the dead legionnaire hit them with enough velocity and mass to shatter their spines, while others were only crippled with broken limbs. The big gun fell silent with no one to man it. The only thing left was steam wafting off the barrel of the hot weapon.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Gaius advanced on the two remaining humans. One tried to beg but was choking on his own blood, so Gaius gave him a swift death by impalement. The sword went through the man and into the asphalt, but with his enhanced strength Gaius was able to yank it back out. The second man didn¡¯t die easy. He pulled his sidearm and unloaded the whole clip into his chest. It sparked off the Infernal Iron without doing any damage. Gaius grinned behind his helmet. The human had courage. ¡°Fu¡­Fu¡­Fuck you!¡± The man struggled to get the final insult out before Gaius picked up the man, crushed his skull, and tossed his body through a nearby window. He could still see a twitching foot sticking out of the wreckage as he assessed the scene. ¡°Rally to me!¡± His powerful roar, full of Infernal power, echoed through the city. His legionnaires immediately responded. Many descended from the sky while other sprinted through the streets toward their General¡¯s call. He stood waiting for them with his foot on top of the broken sandbag pile and dead humans strewn around him. ¡°These weaklings are nothing compared to us.¡± He instilled courage in his remaining legionnaires as he kicked over a body. ¡°Find the throne! Do whatever it takes! Eliminate all obstacles. We must have it if we are to see Lord Seere¡¯s kingdom live on!¡± A ragged cheer went up from the battered soldiers. They¡¯d fought through Hell, dodged giant beasts, and evaded those clever missiles. They were tired, half-broken, had lost their kingdom and many of their friends in the last few hours. Lesser men would have just lay down and died. Gaius reassured his own faith in their destiny. Their Lord might be dead, but Gaius sure as hell wasn¡¯t going down without a fight, and that meant taking as many humans, angels, or whatever else this world could throw at him before he fell. The engagement had been short, but it had taken its toll. The power expended would never return, more was needed for healing, and their depleted numbers promised that Gaius¡¯ defiance wouldn¡¯t last long against a serious attack. All of that didn¡¯t matter. He intended to use what time was left wisely. He tried to remember where he lost the throne and divided up his soldiers to search in grid squares. They would search in groups even though it would take longer. The humans were going to respond, and the legionnaires needed to be able to fight effectively. Now that they were out of the sky, and away from the missiles, they would fare better in small units. A legionnaire was still faster, stronger, and more experienced than a human soldier. Their armor would defend against simple bullets. Only something with more firepower would be able to take them down. Gaius picked up the large machine gun and its long belt of ammo. He could wield it one handed, but the trigger wasn¡¯t the same design as the simpler rifles his men were collecting from the dead humans. He channeled a trickle of power and the large barrel levitated into the air. The belt of large bullets floated out to the side and he aimed down the barrel¡¯s sight to a point at the end of the street. He grasped the trigger at the rear of the weapon and gave it an experimental squeeze. A few rounds burst from the barrel with a heavy THUMP¡­THUMP¡­THUMP sound, and a car at the end of the street rocked back and forth from the impact. Gaius smiled and let the weapon fall back so it was only supported by his own raw strength. It would allow him to engage the humans more effectively while only using a fraction of his strength. < There is something poetic about killing someone with their own weapon.> He looked around to a small honor guard of his best equipped troops that still stood with him. They¡¯d taken control of the human weapons, and had their swords, spears, and bows secured. ¡°We¡¯ll start over there.¡± He pointed to the vicinity around where he believed the throne to be. ¡°We need to move quick or else¡­¡± his order was cut off by the sound of multiple explosions. He automatically looked into the sky where fire was spreading everywhere as missile after missile struck a large figure coming through the golden Rip. A brief glance told him it wasn¡¯t the giant creature from the Veil. There was no way something that large would fit through the Rip¡­but a flying serpent would. Gaius kept a calm expression on his face while he watched missiles detonate, and hoped for the best. On the crown of the large beasts head stood the armored woman with spiked gauntlets. She smashed them together and the shockwave prematurely detonated most of the incoming ordinance. The few that made it through, she slapped aside casually so her steed and the small army of skeletal warriors were unharmed. As Gaius watched the fight another BOOM shook the air and he caught motion out of the corner of his eye. His power allowed him to track the two flying metal aircraft making a wide turn around the city and lining up an attack run on the serpent. More missiles streak from under their wings and dashed across the night sky toward the armored woman, followed by the low, staccato rumbling of heavy caliber rounds fired from the planes¡¯ guns. The humans might not be coming after him after all. They had bigger problems at the moment, and that was fine by him. Gaius needed to find the throne. The longer he could search unimpeded, the better the chance he could secure a foothold on this world. Facts and Fiction Gerry watched in awe at the aerial battle overhead. The things coming through the Rift in the sky were so high up they looked like birds, but people didn¡¯t shoot missiles at birds. Contrails of fire shot upward to meet the aviary threat. He got a better look at the creatures hurtling through the Rift as they charged toward the missiles. Something tugged at his memory, but rolling explosions sufficiently distracted him. ¡°Holy shit,¡± Vicky mumbled as they watched the fireworks display in the sky. Some of the men with wings had gathered together. He gave the formation a name, and felt the tug of memory again. Multiple missiles hit them and broke the formation. Other¡¯s scattered before the missiles could target them, and his eyes automatically followed the largest one. The man was dipping and diving with something gleaming on his back. Gerry¡¯s eyes focus on the gleam. He felt his stomach drop as gravity seemed to shift. His eyes were drawn to the gleam. They focus and zoomed until it was like he was standing right next to it. The winged man had a big golden chair strapped to his back. Gerry¡¯s mind didn¡¯t even process the ridiculousness of it. The chair held all of his attention. At first, it just looked like a large chair. It was clearly made of gold, which made it the most expensive chair he could think of, but that wasn¡¯t what captured his attention. When he really focused, it seemed like something was moving across the surface of the chair. The chair continued to draw closer until the only thing in his vision was the chair. On the surface were tiny symbols. Some moved in neat lines across the shiny surface. Others formed grid patterns and small pulses of something could be seen running along them. Other areas had lines and pulsed orbiting around certain symbols, like their own little solar systems, but dozens, maybe hundred, spread across the surface. The man shifted and a new portion of the chair became visible. It was the part where a person would sit. Lines and grids dominated this section and all the pulses lead in one direction. At the top of the section, where the head of the sitter would be, a single symbol radiated. Gerry¡¯s eyes watered as he took in that single rune. It seemed to transcend everything around it. It outshone reality, bathed everything in its shadow, and seemed like it was anchored to the core of the universe. Without a doubt, it was the most beautiful thing Gerry had ever seen. He would be completely content sitting there for the rest of his life, as his flesh wasted away, looking at the intricate, living patterns and central rune that were the true essence of the chair. Realization sparked inside his head. The realization wasn¡¯t pleasant. It started as a slight burning sensation behind his eyes that quickly sparked off an inferno inside his head. He wanted to scratch his own eyes out, but he couldn¡¯t stop staring at the throne. The central rune still held his full attention as it tried to drown him in pain. Eventually, he couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He blinked, and when he opened his eyes the symbols were gone. He wanted the pain back and the clarity it brought with it. He tried to focus and bring them back, but nothing happened. All he could see was the golden gleam of the throne and the man carrying it. Fire engulfed his vision and he instinctually looked away. ¡°Look out!¡± Something strong hit Gerry in the side, knocked all the breath from his body, and him off his feet. Vicky¡¯s arms circled him as they went flying across the parking lot seconds before something big, black, and burning crashed where they¡¯d been standing a moment before. Chunks of asphalt went flying as people screamed and dove for cover. ¡°Everyone back!¡± The leader of the soldiers guarding the generator darted forward with his weapon trained on the crater. ¡°Clear the area! We need to¡­¡± the man never got to finish. Something long and black jutted from the crater. It hit the soldier in the chest. His camouflaged body armor might as well have been tissue paper as a black spear impaled him in and explosion of gore. What was left of the soldier¡¯s center, hanging together by a few strands of half-pulverized meat, was picked up and nailed to the wall of one of the cargo containers stored in the parking lot. The tips of black wings and helmeted head rose from the crater as a man emerged. He reached up and pulled himself out of the crater. The sword in one of his hands scraped against the cracked parking lot. The people that weren¡¯t already running were shocked into stillness as the man drew himself up to his full height. He was easily seven feet tall with dark, foreboding armor covering him from head to foot. A ripple passed over that armor as the man surveyed his surroundings and small spikes began to emerge at strategic places. His eyes lingered a moment on Vicky before focusing on the small group of petrified soldiers. They stood there for a tense second just staring at each other, until a soldier finally pulled the trigger. The sharp CRACK of the rifle shocked everyone into motion. The other soldiers opened fire and the civilians ran for it while Gerry and Vicky held their ground. The bullets pinged harmlessly against the man¡¯s armor, but that didn¡¯t stop the soldiers. It was the only sense of power they had at the moment, and even though they saw it doing nothing they still held down the triggers until the magazines ran dry. It was a slaughter after that. The man moved in a blur and cut down the soldiers before they could reload. Blood splattered as high as the second story of the nearby hospital from the powerful blows that cleaved the soldiers in two. Gerry just stood there unsure of what to do. He could feel the power in the other man. He understood it. It was familiar, but foreign at the same time. Memories tricked in as the man planted his boot on a body to help remove the impaled corpse from his sword. A memory seized ahold of Gerry¡¯s mind. There was a hot room filled with the smell of sulfur, large black and white squares, and an old woman that wasn¡¯t a woman. He shook his head as the itchiness returned behind his eyes, but by then the man was standing in front of them. ¡°Bravo.¡± Vicky clapped her hands dramatically. ¡°I¡¯m Vicky and this is Gerry. Who do you serve?¡± ¡°I am a soldier of the personal guard of General Gaius Icilius, Commander of the forces of Seere.¡± The man¡¯s back instinctually straightened with pride. ¡°Awesome,¡± Vicky let out a breath that she¡¯d been holding. ¡°I¡¯m Victoria, the queen of the Soulless in this area, and also a servant of Prince Seere. We¡¯ve been waiting for reinforcements since the big guy went down here. So, what¡¯s the plan?¡± The man looked at Vicky like she was something brown and squishy that had stuck to the bottom of his boot, but that wasn¡¯t what had Gerry¡¯s temper steadily climbing. It was that the man completely ignored him. Gerry knew this man should be bowing in front of him. He knew the man was beneath him despite the awesome display of power he¡¯d just shown. Gerry¡¯s hands clenched and his white knuckles popped from the pressure. The man caught the soft pops and turned to look at Gerry. Gerry saw the man¡¯s grip tighten on his sword a second before a loud rumbling announced another arrival. At the entrance to the parking lot a mechanical beast roared its defiance. The armored man leapt into the air with two powerful flaps of his wings and shot toward the new comer. Vicky looked glad the man was gone. However she thought the interaction was going to go, it clearly hadn¡¯t been headed in that direction. ¡°We should¡­¡± BOOM Gerry covered his ears as pain shot through them. He peeked between squinted eyelids and saw the armored man rocketing backward, covered in fire, and headed straight for the hospital. If this happened an hour earlier Gerry would have been inside when the man crashed into it with enough force to cave in a small section. Fresh screams filled the air as the ground shook and the tank rumbled into the parking lot with two dozen soldiers in its wake to press the attack. ¡°We really need to fucking move!¡± Vicky yelled, grabbing Gerry¡¯s wrist and pulling him behind the container the first soldier had been nailed to. They were out of sight when they heard a furious roar that was quickly followed by the sound of a second 125mm shell firing from the tank¡¯s main gun, three-to-five round bursts from a .50 caliber heavy machine gun, and the single shots of the individual soldiers¡¯ M4 assault rifles. Gerry was more concerned with how he knew the specifics of the weapons than with the battle raging behind them. Memories started to form, but the burning returned. He shook his head to ease the pain and the budding images slipped between his fingertips. ¡°Well that was a colossal clusterfuck.¡± Vicky led the way across a second parking lot that was already empty of people and onto a street leading away from the medical campus. ¡°I don¡¯t know who the royal guard of General What¡¯s-His-Face is up to, but they¡¯ve gone rogue. We¡¯re already up to our dicks in chaos here, anything else and the Divine is going to come down on then like the hammer of¡­well¡­God.¡± She was shaking her head back and forth while she walked.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Another loud boom echoed behind them along with the sound of tearing metal. It didn¡¯t sound like things were going well for the humans. ¡°So, what now?¡± They were far enough from the fight that Vicky felt comfortable stopping. ¡°My people are going to make their way back to the camp. We can head there now, or fart around here some more. I don¡¯t know what your plan is, or if there is even a plan, but we could really use something. All hell is breaking loose¡­literally. Infernals from Hell are showing up and wrecking shit. So not cool.¡± She plopped down on the curb and ran her hands through her hair. Gerry ignored her bitching and looked to his left. With the danger of the armored man gone, and the sounds of battle far away, he could feel what they needed to do next. There was a small pull tugging at his heart, and it was pulling him to the left. He took a step to the right and it pulled tighter, and he was sure if he started walking away to the right the tension would grow painful. The pull was magnetic. He was being drawn toward something, and it didn¡¯t take much to figure out what it was. ¡°This way.¡± He didn¡¯t wait for Vicky to reply. He just started walking with the pulling sensation as a guide. ¡°What¡­where are we going?¡± She hopped up and followed a few steps behind him. When he didn¡¯t stop she planted her feet and crossed her arms. ¡°Tell me what the fuck is going on or I¡¯m gone.¡± Gerry didn¡¯t even break stride. ¡°I¡¯m going to find something.¡± He could tell Vicky wouldn¡¯t follow through with the ultimatum, and the hurried approach of her steps confirmed it. ¡°What are we looking for?¡± Her eyes kept scanning everything around them. The sounds of gunfire were picking up everywhere, and the occasional BOOM shattered the night. ¡°You¡¯ll know it when you see it.¡± Gerry felt the tug shift and he took a right down an empty street. The people who¡¯d survived the first disaster were taking cover as another fell right on top of them. ¡°That¡¯s not cryptic or anything,¡± Vicky¡¯s remark dripped with sarcasm, but she kept her eyes peeled. They had to dart down an alley when another tank rumbled down the street, and a heavy machine gun swept over their position, but didn¡¯t see them hiding behind a dumpster. The soldiers walking in the tank¡¯s wake covered the alley but didn¡¯t check it. Gerry could taste the fear on them. The radio calls for help were hectic, coming more frequently, and often cut off abruptly. ¡°This whole thing is bullshit,¡± one soldier muttered as they passed. ¡°LT is going to get us all killed.¡± The tank and its infantry escort disappeared around the corner, and looked like they were heading toward the hospital. Gerry poked his head out and made sure the coast was clear before heading out in the direction of the tug. They had to hide three more times from passing patrols, each of which had a tank at the center. One spotted them, but Vicky was able to play the damsel in distress well enough to convince the young officer to give them directions to the nearest shelter. Once they were gone, Gerry led them in the opposite direction. The destruction began to fade the farther they got from the center of the city, but was replaced by normal dilapidation. Wherever the throne had landed, it had been a shitty place before the whole city got stomped on. The street was full of overgrown yards full of random bits of junk. The garbage hadn¡¯t been picked up since the incident and was piled several feet high on the curbs. The rotting stench of spoiled food due to lack of refrigeration was everywhere. Gerry didn¡¯t gag like Vicky. He knew he¡¯d been through worse even if he didn¡¯t know when. He kicked a stray can out of his way and the racket caused several heads to poke out of boarded up doors. ¡°Ever heard of sneaking up on the bad guys.¡± Vicky hissed as a group of young men approached them. To Gerry, they looked like nothing more than boys. ¡°I know,¡± she sighed when Gerry shot her a look. ¡°I am the bad guy¡­or bad girl¡­but that doesn¡¯t mean I want to draw more attention to myself.¡± ¡°Yo,¡± the leader of the ragtag group of young men planted himself in the middle of their path. His friends spread out to either side of them and created a human wall. ¡°You¡¯ve got to pay the toll.¡± ¡°Toll, you¡¯ve got to be kidding me.¡± Vicky rolled her eyes. ¡°You come over here, baby, and I¡¯ll consider it paid in full.¡± One of the friends licked his lips and winked. ¡°Ewww, you¡¯re like a perverted, retarded Little John.¡± Vicky dismissed him with a wave. ¡°Who you calling little?¡± The boy puffed up and pulled a knife from his pocket. ¡°Little John¡­from Robin Hood.¡± Vicky¡¯s eyes widened when she only saw confusion. ¡°Will Scarlett¡­the Merry Men¡­what the hell are they teaching you kids these days.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this,¡± Gerry could feel the pull. It was close, and these boys were in his way. Something told him dealing with them directly was below him. ¡°There is something close to here. It fell from the sky and is very valuable to me.¡± Pupils widened as recognition spread through the group of men, and the rest of them pulled weapons. Only one had a gun. ¡°Looks like we came to the right place,¡± Vicky smiled. ¡°Fuck off and we¡¯ll let you live.¡± Gerry noticed that the leaders hand was shaking as he said it. ¡°Tell me where the throne is and I¡¯ll let you walk away from here with all your limbs.¡± Gerry replied. ¡°I told you it was a throne. That¡¯s the type of shit the King of England sits on.¡± One boy whispered as he held his knife out in front of him. ¡°It¡¯s a queen right now you idiot,¡± the boy next to him said. Gerry could tell these boys weren¡¯t killers. All he sensed was fear over a thin layer of determination, but one thing gave him pause. The original boy who said he would kill if they didn¡¯t leave was telling the truth. He didn¡¯t know what he had, but he wasn¡¯t going to give it up. ¡°Victoria, if you¡¯d please¡­¡± Gerry waved for her to get on with it. All of the teenage boy¡¯s weapons adjusted to cover her as she sauntered forward. ¡°Now, boys.¡± She placed her hands behind her back, thrust out her chest, tilted her head, and gave them a million dollar smile. ¡°Be good, drop your weapons, and go home. If you don¡¯t you¡¯ll regret it.¡± The boys didn¡¯t seem to get that she wasn¡¯t afraid of their weapons. If they knew anything about what they were about to get themselves into, that would have been the first red flag. ¡°Last chance!¡± The hand of the boy holding the gun shook harder, but Gerry felt his determination harden. Vicky turned her full attention on the boy and smiled. ¡°No.¡± Gerry watched the boy pull the trigger, but Vicky was already moving. It didn¡¯t help that the gun didn¡¯t even fire. Gerry could spot the poor maintenance from thirty feet away. ¡°Shit, I¡­¡± the boy didn¡¯t get to finish. Vicky appeared in front of him and punched him in the chest. Her vampiric strength made the kid fold inward on himself as he was thrown back several feet. He was spasming before he¡¯d hit the ground. Vicky¡¯s punch not only broke his ribs, had one stabbing him in the lung, but it had also fucked up the rhythm of his heart. The gun clattered to the ground next to him, and his friends eyes darted from him to Vicky. ¡°Run.¡± She added a hint of compulsion and the rest of the boys tripped over themselves as they fled. Gerry walked over to the boy on the ground. It was clear he was dying, but Gerry could feel a sensation creeping up his spine as the final seconds of the boy¡¯s life ticked by. Gerry grabbed the boy by the scruff of his shirt and pulled his upper body off the ground. The boy¡¯s eyes were rolled into the back of his head, and blood was leaking from his nose and mouth, but Gerry could glimpse something in there. A small flicker of something deep down that was working its way to the surface with each of the boy¡¯s labored breaths. Finally, the boy gave a final shudder, the smell of fresh shit filled the air, and a bright object pulsing with power leapt from his body. Gerry reached out and caught it. He didn¡¯t catch it with his hand. He didn¡¯t even move. He wasn¡¯t sure if anyone else could even see it, but when his metaphysical net snagged the object, raw electricity coursed through his veins. His back arched as power and energy flooded into him. It hurt, like someone ripped a big ass Band-Aid off a fresh wound, but the pain was coupled with pleasure. The world expanded, and memories flashed through his mind. He was certain of all these things, but the by then the light was spent, and without context, the world dimmed back to dull reality around him. The one difference was that he felt a hundred times better then when they¡¯d released him from the hospital. ¡°Shit, Boss.¡± Vicky just stared at him. Whatever had happened, she¡¯d seen it. ¡°Let¡¯s move. It¡¯s close.¡± He dropped the boy and his skull impacted the concrete with a small thud. He stood up, took a few steps, and pain lanced through his mind. Visions flashed in front of his eyes and blocked out the rest of the world. ¡­He was young and his mother was whooping his ass for taking a toy he wanted from the department store. He took the pain but didn¡¯t regret what he¡¯d done. He really wanted that toy¡­ ¡­He was older, sitting in school, and the only thing he could think about was getting the hell out of there. Some older guys were waiting on the corner. They¡¯d give him some stuff, he¡¯d run a few errands, and then he¡¯d get paid a hundred bucks. No other kids in school were making a hundred bucks a day¡­ Gerry staggered as the visions assaulted him. ¡­He was even older now, he was one of the guys on the corner that handed little kids product. He knew how stupid it was to think that a hundred bucks was a lot. He had at least two grand rolled up in the pocket of his pants that were currently on the floor of his mother¡¯s mini-van. Krystal Johnson was the hottest girl on the block, and she riding his dick like a pro. He reached up and grabbed a handful of those Double ¨CD¡¯s. She slapped his hands away. ¡°That costs extra,¡± she smiled as she bent down to kiss his lips. It ended with a nibble that nearly made him finish¡­ Gerry bent over and retched, but there was nothing in his stomach. He gripped his knees and tried to take a deep breath. ¡­Now, he was cowering in a building while two rampaging giants tore up Charlotte. He was sitting in the darkness without power. There was no electricity to work the fridge, so he ended up tossing out all the food. Then, in the middle of a run to the curb with two Hefty bags, something shiny dropped out of the sky and plowed right into his living room. Krystal and their baby were screaming in the other room. ¡°Shut the hell up!¡± he yelled and slammed the door in her face. He looked at the big ass golden chair that had taken out his recliner and plasma, and all he saw was dollar signs¡­ Gerry was on his knees and he felt like he couldn¡¯t breathe. ¡­Suddenly he heard voices in the street. He peeked out of his door just as a guy, followed by a fine as girl, kicked a can down the street. He looked across the street at his friend¡¯s house and nodded. All his friends poured out of their houses. They were going to protect their payday. It was their way out of this shit-hole city. He didn¡¯t want to threaten the chick with a gun, but he did. He told them to fuck off, and didn¡¯t understand why they didn¡¯t. He gave the stranger a final warning, they didn¡¯t take it, so he pulled the trigger. The gun didn¡¯t fire, and the next thing he knew the girl was punching him in the chest. His world exploded into pain, and pain was all he knew until he closed his eyes forever¡­ Gerry gasped as he threw his head up and a diminished ball of light shot out of his mouth and into the sky. It zipped around for a few seconds, doing figure eights in the air, before plummeting down into the asphalt where it vanished with a soft puff. Instantly, the visions stopped and the crippling pain vanished. He felt weaker, still stronger than when he¡¯d left the hospital, but nothing like that moment between taking the ball and the visions beginning. Vicky just stood there looking at him with her jaw dropped. ¡°What the fuck was that?¡± ¡°I¡­I don¡¯t know.¡± It hurt Gerry to admit it, but he had no idea what the hell had come over him. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He quickly changed the subject and headed toward the dead boy¡¯s house. The bright side of this whole thing was that he knew exactly where the throne was. Assembly Point People had misconceptions about Heaven. It wasn¡¯t their fault. Religions that didn¡¯t know the whole story spun a tale that fit their doctrine. Some got parts right, others wrong, and some were way off the mark. In the end, Heaven had two ultimate purposes. First, it was a place of eternal happiness for those souls that deserved it, and God had very high standards of admittance. That was the main tweak God made to the already existing ?therial architecture of Earth. When he conquered it, he dared mankind to be better than their primal selves. Their primal selves had existed in a world of pain and chaos, and he wanted to make sure that those who rose above that were rewarded. When those evolved souls¡¯ bodies died they ascended to Heaven. The rest were returned into the endless cycle of reincarnation up until Lucifer tampered with the plan. Essentially, the Father of Lies copied and reversed God¡¯s design and sent those souls whose karmic balance was in the red to Hell. Hell¡¯s pull wasn¡¯t as refined as Heavens. Some got pulled down that should have gone back into the reincarnation cycle, other stayed in the cycle that should have gotten pulled down, and a bunch flowed around and over Lucifer¡¯s ?therial hack without being effected at all. That was what you got when you ripped off a primordial being¡¯s work without his power or knowledge base, but at the moment it was how things worked. Heaven wasn¡¯t a place made of fluffy white clouds, singing choirs of angels, and a giant bearded man sitting on a throne over it all. Each soul got their own personalized paradise; a little slice of Heaven ¨C an afterlife home ¨C where their wants and desires played out. This paradise was maintained by God¡¯s ?ther and monitored by angels; specifically, the Virtues. They were Heaven¡¯s architects, graphic artists, and custodians all rolled into one. They made sure that those righteous souls got what they deserved. Ava had spent time shadowing a Virtue when she was a young angel. They were big on cross training in Heaven and wanted to make sure every angel had a chance to see everything before choosing a desired profession. For her, it had been Guardian training all the way, but she still saw the value in seeing how every piece fit into the whole. What was the point of her defending all the souls of Earth if they got to Heaven and didn¡¯t get what they wanted? Ava remembered one old woman¡¯s heaven was family dinner every night with her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. None were real, they were all creations of ?ther, but she got to do what made her happy and enjoy the company of the people she loved. She knew another heaven where a man made himself President of the United States and solved all the world¡¯s problems. It was still difficult, it kept him engaged, but he thrived on the challenge. Another heaven she¡¯s visited was actually one of those puffy white-cloud places where a woman who¡¯d worked herself to death in life, just kicked back and relaxed. Those were all good heavens, but her favorite one was of a teenage girl who died of cancer. She sat in a stadium, the edges were blurred so you really couldn¡¯t tell what kind, but it was packed full of people. You couldn¡¯t see any faces, colors, creeds, or orientation; they were all just sitting there quietly while wave after wave of complete peace washed over them. When Ava was feeling stressed lately, she would spend a few moments in that heaven to help wash away her emotional turmoil. She wished she was there right now. ¡°Ma¡¯am¡­Ma¡¯am¡­?¡± Ava snapped out of it with a shake of her head. ¡°Sorry, Bart, go on.¡± She turned her thoughts from the peaceful heavens and to the battle plans in front of her. The Heaven those righteous souls saw and experienced was only half of the realm. The second half lay on the opposite side of God¡¯s Palace and could best be described as a military base. Heaven, for all its power and authority, was constantly under threat of invasion. Their primary aggressor was the Infernals in Hell, but some of the other realms in existence tested their borders on occasion. The Divine Host stood between those souls and those enemies, and Ava¡¯s responsibilities in that Host had risen after her battle with the Dux in Charlotte. It wasn¡¯t just the Hand of God that had replaced the hand she¡¯d lost to Gerald Fuller. She¡¯d been promoted. She was now a Power. A Guardian was one of the frontline soldiers. They were powerful enough to tangle with certain Infernals, and commanded by a Dominion. The Infernal Lords had empowered their Duxes to be able to stand toe-to-toe with Dominions, who were in charge of defending strategic positions, like cities. As the battle outside Charlotte had shown, those Duxes had varying levels of success. Guardians were foot soldiers, Dominions were their officers, and then there were the Powers. Powers were a higher class of officer who were assigned areas of greater responsibility. The Power that Ava had reported to had been in charge of everything from Washington, D.C., down to Miami, and over to Nashville. Ava was one of over a dozen Dominions to report to him. He¡¯d been reassigned after the Charlotte battle to a quieter sector.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Ava felt bad about that. She¡¯d gone over his head straight to Uriel during the battle. When Hell literally popped up in the middle of your territory, a critical seal was broken, and you didn¡¯t know what was going on you were bound to get fired. Now, Ava was in the hot seat, and her first job was to promote a replacement for Emmanuel. There was enough left of the former Dominion¡¯s Divine spark to reconstitute him in Heaven, but it would take time for him to get back up to strength, and then he would likely return to duty as a Guardian until a new post opened up. The Divine Host was fair, but it did not condone failure. Her choice for the job was Bartholomew, but he went by Bart for short. She¡¯d served with him as a Guardian before she got her Dominion in Charlotte. He was cunning, professional, and a little devious if that was a way you could even define a Divine being. Ava really appreciated his ability to think outside the box, which was not an angel¡¯s strong suit. Their enemies wouldn¡¯t like what Bart had planned for them. ¡°I want the two companies to insert here and here.¡± A three dimensional rendering of Charlotte, with live-access ?therial input hovered in front of them. ¡°It¡¯s a classic pincer movement. We will sandwich the Infernals between us and squeeze. We¡¯ll have a couple squads in reserve to complete an envelopment and deal individually with any wards they¡¯ve been able to mine the area with.¡± It had been eons since the last major Divine-Infernal combat took place on Earth, and people needed to brush up on tactics. Like the wards used to hide the beginning of the ritual sacrifice of Ava¡¯s daughter from her, wards had a lot of uses. They could keep people out until they were bashed down, or they could trap people. They could drain power, cause destruction, hide objects, and do a plethora of other things. The old accounts of battles long past told of serious warding on both sides. The result was a slow slug fest between two armies as they moved forward inch by inch and destroying everything in their wake. Archangels or Infernal Lords could turn those tides by brute forcing through things others couldn¡¯t, but the carnage that would cause an already wounded city¡­she didn¡¯t want to think about it. Contrary to those old accounts, Bart¡¯s plan was about speed and tactics. ¡°All initial reports are saying that it isn¡¯t more than a few hundred, lightly armed, and weakened Infernals. They got mauled by Behemoth¡¯s granddaughter as they passed through the Veil, and it looks like the initial action taken by the humans took a few more of them out.¡± There was a hint of pride in the new Dominion¡¯s voice. ¡°I¡¯m confident if we move swiftly we won¡¯t run into many, if any, wards. The Infernals look like they¡¯re having enough trouble holding themselves together. I don¡¯t think they¡¯re going to have time to set up proper defenses. We need to counterattack now.¡± ¡°The troops do fit what we know about Seere¡¯s legionnaires, and if they¡¯re in a fighting retreat they might not even be able to set up proper warding¡­¡± ¡°That sounds like a well thought out plan,¡± a new voice interrupted Ava and Bart, and they both braced to attention. Michael walked into their command tent, but barely peaked at the battlefield. He was wearing a simple tunic and sandals, not the Divine Steel armor that both Ava and Bart had strapped on. Ava¡¯s even had its own personal warding. It was a definite upgrade from her Dominion armor. ¡°I just wanted to let the two of you know that Uriel is still recuperating, and I will be your commanding officer for this operation. Reports and critical communications will flow though me. Any sighting of Infernal Lords will be sent straight to me. Am I clear?¡± ¡°Yes, Sir.¡± ¡°Good.¡± Michael¡¯s face was calm. ¡°Bart, do you mind if I have a moment with Ava. ¡°No, Sir.¡± The newly appointed Dominion practically ran out of the tent. ¡°I just want to make sure you¡¯re ok.¡± Michael sat on the corner of the table and studied Ava. ¡°I¡¯m good to go, Sir. I¡¯ve worked out an excellent battle plan with Bart that I think will more than¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not talking about the battle plan, Ava.¡± Michael stopped her. ¡°I¡¯m talking about you, your readiness. You went through hell, and I¡¯m about to throw your right back in the fire.¡± He didn¡¯t look concerned, just thoughtful. ¡°I¡¯m ready for anything, Sir.¡± Ava said confidently in the hopes of restoring his confidence in her. ¡°No one is ever ready for anything.¡± Michael shook his head but let the subject drop. ¡°I¡¯m assigning a squad of Cherubim to your strike force.¡± ¡°What!?¡± Ava blurted at the sudden revelation. ¡°Is this because¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s not about you, Ava. Think through the situation.¡± He was using his commanding voice and Ava nearly snapped back to attention. ¡°This is believed to be the remnants of Seere¡¯s forces. If they are in full retreat it is wise to assume it will be the people who were able to survive the longest with their lord gone. These could be powerful generals, administrators who ran his affairs, or other high level personnel used to wielding a lot of power. A few hundred Guardians might not be enough to defeat them, and this is a battle we can¡¯t lose.¡± was what she thought. ¡°Understood, Sir. We¡¯ll work them into our deployment pattern,¡± was what she said. ¡°Good. Bart, you can come back in.¡± Michael looked to the side of the tent where the Dominion was probably standing with his ear to the fabric. ¡°Good luck, Ava, and keep me informed.¡± She saluted as he left. Bart entered and immediately identified likely positions based on ?therial output for the Cherubims to check out. Ava nodded without looking at the battlefield anymore. The time for planning was over. It was time for action. ¡°Deploy the troops, Bart. Happy hunting.¡± She marched out of the tent and toward the portal to Earth, created by Michael, as her soldiers rallied behind her. To the Victor go the Spoils Gerry stumbled up the three steps to the top of the concrete porch in front of the small house¡¯s front door. He gripped the chipped iron railing for support and had a few flashes of memory. He felt like he¡¯d touched this railing a hundred times. He knew where all the abrasions were, and he was pretty sure he¡¯d leaned more than one girl up against it. Unlike before, these visions were dull, grainy, and seemed to be fading, but that didn¡¯t stop him from knowing he shouldn¡¯t be having them at all. What had happened with the boy ¨C taking the diminishing ball of light from his body and instinctually ingesting it ¨C was a mystery. He felt like he¡¯d taken one step forward and three steps back since this all started. He felt like he was constantly on the edge of understanding what the armored, winged soldiers were, who Gaius was, and what the magnetism of this golden chair meant. He mentally corrected himself as he looked at the cheap wooden door in front of him. ¡°You want me to go first?¡± Vicky asked as she stepped up beside him. ¡°You don¡¯t look so hot.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he grunted back as he straightened his spine. The memories of the railing vanished when he broke contact. He reached forward and tried the knob. It didn¡¯t budge. ¡°Allow me.¡± Vicky smiled as she picked up her foot before lashing forward. The door exploded off its unoiled hinges and flew into the room. It ricocheted off a table in the foyer which broke it in half, shattered the bowl sitting on it, and tossed its contents everywhere. Vicky just took a step back and gave a small flourish. ¡°Ta Da.¡± Gerry couldn¡¯t help but roll his eyes as he stepped over the threshold. Aside from the battered table, splintered door, and broken bowl, the rest of the house was still in poor condition. The furniture he could spot in the room at the end of the narrow hallway was low end. The walls looked like someone had done some damage to them and then failed to apply spackle properly. Somewhere in the back a baby was crying, which explained the funky smell that seemed to permeate the place. Gerry advanced confidently down the hallway. As he reached the end, he saw the moon¡¯s light streaming through the hole in the roof from the boy¡¯s memory. Sitting on the ground, still on its side, was the golden throne. Gerry¡¯s eyes were immediately glued to it. The geometric patterns he¡¯d seen from a distance before were highlighted now that he was up close. ¡°Holy shit.¡± Vicky gawked at the giant chair made of precious metal. Just being in its vicinity, Gerry could feel his mind begin to stir. He was at the precipice. He could feel it. Everything he wanted to know. Everything he¡¯d forgotten. It was all a few feet away, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. Something else was humming through the room. It wasn¡¯t the promise of something lost, it was something much more: power. The golden throne radiated it, and that power pulled Gerry forward. It consumed his every thought and sense, which was why he didn¡¯t see the girl with the gun. ¡°You killed Tony you cocksucker!¡± she shrieked before opening fire. The gun was a stubby revolver. It didn¡¯t look like much. It was dirty and in need of a good cleaning, but it still worked. The first round blew through the wall a full foot to Gerry¡¯s right. Vicky was moving for cover before the cylinder rotated to chamber the second round, but Gerry hadn¡¯t even moved. The throne was pulling him toward it. Nothing else mattered¡­until the second shot hit him right in the gut.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. A sharp stinging pain ripped through him and yanked his attention away from the throne. The geometric designs faded for a second time. He stumbled back, his eyes burning with fury even as the third round smacked into his left shoulder. Rage that had been kindling in his gut since the hospital exploded outward. He raised his arm, willing it to reach across the feet separating him and the angry woman. He felt his sense of the world widen and something inside him extend forward. The woman was screaming bloody murder now. The fourth round whizzed past his head close enough the Gerry felt the breeze stir his hair, but he ignored it. He focused on forcing his will forward until¡­ He felt something make contact with her and squeezed. The woman¡¯s eyes bulged, and an invisible force clamped down around her throat. Panic automatically took over. Round number five went into the ground between them as the woman brought up her hands to claw away whatever was choking her. Her hands beat against something untenable and unyielding. The gun slipped from her hand and clattered uselessly to the ground. Gerry just stood there, arm outstretched, and felt the connection between him, the power at his disposal, and the satisfying feel of the life being squeeze from this woman¡¯s body. The woman¡¯s resistance grew weaker and weaker until she could barely hold her arms up. Her eyes were still bulging, her lips started to turn blue, and a sick gurgling sound was all that escaped her throat. Gerry flexed the force connecting them just because he could. The woman slowly lifted into the air. Her tiptoes barely touched the ground, but she wasn¡¯t strong enough to support her own weight. He held her there in the air as her eyes rolled into the back of her head and it lolled to the side. A baby¡¯s cry cut through the tension in the room. Gerry¡¯s head snapped in the annoying sound¡¯s direction. He looked back and forth between the sound and the barely conscious woman before making his final decision. With a surge of effort, he released the woman and pushed. A wave of force caught the woman as she dropped toward the ground and threw her backward. The poorly maintained wall didn¡¯t stand a chance and the woman ended up half in this room and half in the next. Gerry could sense she was alive, and something inside him pushed him to finish the job, but he stopped himself. He could sense another power heading in his direction. Something that was stronger than him. ¡°Stay there.¡± Gerry motioned for Vicky to stay back. First, because he didn¡¯t know what was going to happen, and second because he didn¡¯t trust her. ¡°Yeah, no problem.¡± Vicky was still looking between Gerry and the woman he¡¯d thrown through a wall. ¡°I¡¯m good here.¡± He kept her in his peripheral vision as he approached the throne. It was turned on its side, so the first thing he did was right it. An electric shock pulsed through him the moment his fingers touched the metal. Powerful visions rocked him more than anything he¡¯d experienced with the boy. He inhaled sharply and broke contact. The metal was warm to the touch and the humming was intensifying. Something was building up from within the throne. Something meant for him. ¡°Do you think that¡¯s a good idea?¡± Vicky asked as she poked her head around the corner. It looked like she thought something was going to explode and was taking cover. Gerry just shot her a look. ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll shut up and be over here.¡± She pointed behind her and vanished. He doubted a feeble wall would do anything to save her based on the power he¡¯d felt in the throne, but that didn¡¯t matter. Nothing mattered. She didn¡¯t matter. The incessant weeping of the baby in the other room didn¡¯t matter. The approaching unknown power didn¡¯t matter. Gerry didn¡¯t even matter. Only the throne mattered. He dragged his hand along the arm rest as he moved to the front of the throne. More visions rocked his mind. He saw justice made flesh. He saw great battles in a foreign place. He saw a fighting retreat to save the Rebellion. He saw the face of God. He stood in front of the throne facing away from it. Stillness permeated everything as reality itself seemed to hold its breath. This was something great, something momentous. Gerry felt like crowds of adoring worshipers should be kneeling before him and bathing him with lavished gifts. The throne made him feel invincible. It made him feel like a King. The other power was approaching quickly. It could sense something tremendous was about to happen. Gerry was sure whatever it was didn¡¯t want him to do what he was about to do. He lowered himself slowly until his butt touched the warm seat and everything changed. Pick up Aftermath today! The exciting continuation of The Harbinger Tales Saga, Aftermath, is now available on amazon kindle! Get it for only $3.99 or for free on kindle unlimited. Read the synopsis below. Once you finish, please take a moment to write a customer review. Every review helps promote the book, and I greatly appreciate them! Enjoy! GET IT HERE The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. What¡¯s next? That¡¯s what Sam Daily has been thinking for months. His wife, Elle, has been gone since their defeat of the Rogue Harbinger, Faultline, and he doesn¡¯t know when she¡¯s coming back. Stuck in a world he still doesn¡¯t understand, with abilities he¡¯s only begun to explore, Sam is forced to figure out how to live a normal life after the vicious battle that cost him more than he knows. But no good deed goes unpunished. Unbeknownst to Sam, powerful people are stepping into the game, and they detest Sam and what he represents. Caught in the middle of their schemes, Sam must continue his fight to survive with new allies against cunning enemies. Aftermath is the second book in The Harbinger Tales Saga. Cover Art by Ashley Ruggirello of http://www.cardboardmonet.com Deployment Ava looked out over a sea of steel. Well¡­not a sea, but there were two hundred and six Guardians and Dominions in unblemished Divine Steel armor with swords, spears, and axes glinting in the light of Heaven¡¯s swirling ?ther. The central mass of the soldiers were Guardians grouped in two roughly hundred-angel companies. Behind them stood a few Dominion officers, all braced at the position of attention with their chins high and their chests puffed out. Bart stood behind her and to the left, and she could feel the anticipation radiating off him. She scanned the formation of the troops she was about to lead into battle with a serene face and her hands clasps behind her back. Despite her calm expression, she couldn¡¯t help but continuously clench and unclench her fists. Her cloak hid the repetitive action from her troops, but not from the man standing directly behind her. This wasn¡¯t Ava¡¯s first time leading soldiers into battle. She¡¯d been a Dominion for nearly two hundred years, and half a millennia as a Guardian before that. The Rebellion against Satan and the Infernal Lords was a little before her time, but she¡¯d killed two Duxes in service of Charlotte, and gone toe-to-toe with the Father of Lies himself. Not many angels of her age and rank had that experience on their resume. She clenched her fists again and felt the lack of a difference in the texture of her palms. The Hand of God was a brilliant gold that contrasted with the pale white of her flesh, but to her senses there was no difference. Her Father had crafted his gift so she wouldn¡¯t feel like she¡¯d lost a piece of herself. The Hand of God might be the tool to avenge her fallen daughter, but that wouldn¡¯t bring her back to life. She¡¯d died too young and too suddenly at the hands of truly evil beings. Her attention snapped back to the waiting soldiers. ¡°You all know what is coming.¡± She paused for a second before stepping forward and walking down the line of Guardians. ¡°The mission we are about to embark on will be the first of many as we drive back the Infernals that have brazenly invaded Eden.¡± She watched as many Guardians spines straightened as she passed. Word of her planting a sword in the back of the Great Dissenter had spread through Heaven like wildfire. ¡°The situation in Charlotte is dire for the humans we are charged with protecting. Their city is broken, tens of thousands of their families and friends have been killed, and now they are being invaded. Our mission is to end that invasion. We will strike hard and fast to cut the head of the serpent so the body will wither and die.¡± The last sentence was originally supposed to be auditory flair, but they had confirmed a serpent steed had broken through the Veil and was laying waste to portions of the city. ¡°This is not an isolated incident,¡± she continued. ¡°Three separate Infernal clans are on the ground wreaking havoc and sowing fear: the depleted remains of Seere¡¯s Legion, soldiers of Cain, and a small contingent from the Mother of Serpents.¡± She saw more than one face grimace at the information. It wasn¡¯t fear that drove the emotion, but disgust that those Infernal Lords were desecrating their Father¡¯s creation. ¡°It is our job to show them that they are not welcome.¡± She slowly slid her sword from its scabbard on her back and held it high in the air. Her soldiers cheered and drew their own blades in preparation. ¡°You all know your deployment assignments. You all know what is at stake. Move quickly, quietly, and unseen. Destroy the enemy and return the city to its human owners.¡± Heads nodded all around her and jaws were set in determination. Power began to pulse from the guardians and dominions as they drew from their essence to prepare. Ava did the same. She knew how she liked to fight, and she¡¯d trained for eons to perfect her skills. Now, she had more power than ever before, and that wasn¡¯t even counting the Hand of God. ¡°You can use it like a cannon.¡± Michael stepped up beside her and gestured to her golden appendage. ¡°It will emit of beam of pure energy with massive destructive potential. You can fire smaller, weaker bursts more rapidly, or strong blasts the take longer to recover from. It all depends on the situation.¡± Ava already knew all of this. God himself had given her a brief rundown on the Hand¡¯s abilities. ¡°I can handle it,¡± she replied as a steady stream of energy flowed into the Hand. ¡°Remember you mission.¡± Michael continued as he stood calmly beside her. ¡°Avoid detection as much as possible, eliminate the threat, and get home safely.¡± Ava didn¡¯t agree with the first part of her orders. Humanity had been introduced to true monsters, and she thought they needed to see the glory of her Father to know he was there protecting them. She knew if she was in their position she would want to know her prayers were being heard, but she was a soldier. She didn¡¯t have the luxury of always getting what she wanted. The orders came from God himself and she would obey. ¡°You¡¯ve got this.¡± Michael smiled and gave her a brief clap on the back before walking forward into the throng of soldiers. They cheered the Archangel as he passed among them. Several reached out to touch him or asked for his blessing. The humans had dubbed him the patron saint of soldiers for a reason. Michael stopped a few times and said an encouraging word to soldiers he knew, and some he didn¡¯t. Ava just sat back and watched as the Commander of the Divine Host effortlessly inspired his troops. She¡¯d tried to give a rousing motivational speech before this, and she¡¯d hadn¡¯t received half this level of excitement. ¡°You ready?¡± Bart¡¯s appearance snapped her out of her moment of envy. ¡°Yes.¡± She took a deep breath and look back to study her command element. As the only Power, she was in command of the forces on the ground. Michael was in overall command of the mission, but wouldn¡¯t travel to Eden unless absolutely necessary. His battle with Satan had been recorded and seen by billions. If he appeared again, it would only cause more chaos. Bart was her second in command and was sticking by her side. Two of his most skilled Guardians were accompanying them, along with the squad leader of the Cherubim Michael had assigned to them. His name was Razael. Ava only knew him by reputation, but everything she¡¯d seen so far said he was a hardened, competent soldier. He also knew this was her show, and hadn¡¯t overstepped his bounds during the planning phase. In fact, he¡¯d had several good ideas that reigned in some of Bart¡¯s more hair-brained strategies. The result was a detailed, but flexible, battle plan. Michael finally passed through the other end of the now-disorganized units, and their superiors yelled and hurried into their deployment formations. The two hundred plus angels broke into smaller squads and spaced themselves out.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.