Echoes of the Past (Demon Squad) (10 page)

Still worried about the freak who’d come a
knockin
’ after the werewolf attack, I drove along the main streets, doing my best to stay amidst traffic. I was probably putting everyone at risk as the guy had shown he didn’t really care too much about witnesses or passersby, but if nothing else, it might stop the
weres
from springing an ambush.

As I wheeled into Old Town, it was clear there was something in the air. Just past the line of downtown, the traffic on the streets dwindled to almost nothing. There were a few homeless folks wandering the sidewalks, but they stopped and stared as I drove by, all of them appearing to hunker close to the buildings and alleys as if they expected violence.

I kept my head on a swivel as I drove, trying my best to see what had spooked the locals, but there was nothing to be seen. My senses weren’t picking up anything, so the threat didn’t appear supernatural. Maybe they were just antsy about all the crap going down lately and were waiting it out.

No idea what was up, but certain something was, I figured out where Baalth was hanging out and pulled into the parking lot of a rundown strip mall, which covered half the block. I stashed one of my guns and an extra clip under the driver’s seat, then got out of the car and made my way to the comic book store that looked like it hadn’t seen a customer since the early eighties. It still had a poster advertising the
New Mutants
, for Starbuck’s sake.

I went to the door and pulled it open. Alexander Poe met me before I could step inside.

“Good afternoon, Mister Trigg.” He greeted me with his usual cold professionalism. Dressed as he always was, in a tailored suit fitted to his exact dimensions, he was intimidating despite his advanced age. His thinning gray hair immaculate, he stared at me through ice-blue eyes that didn’t blink. “What can I do for you?”

“I’d like to speak to Baalth, and don’t give me any of that vacation stuff, because I know he’s back.”

Poe nodded. “He is, but he’s not up for visitors, having more than his fair share of uninvited and unwelcome guests today.” He glanced casually toward the rooftop of the building across the street, his eyes lingering.

I followed his gaze, and there, plain as day but out of sight from the street, were several men dressed in SWAT uniforms without emblems. They all carried some variety of automatic rifle—Ar-15s, or some such thing—and had their faces covered. That explained why the locals were hiding. The feds had moved in. One of the men waved and mimed shooting me. I flipped him the bird and turned back to Poe.

“I guess the Department of Supernatural Investigation is taking their job seriously.”

“It would seem, so you can understand why Baalth wouldn’t want to see you right now. They’ve been hounding him since his return.”

“
Déjà vu
.” I still didn’t know where Baalth had up and disappeared to during the Heaven fiasco, but apparently everyone knew he’d come back…except for me. If he hadn’t burst in on us ransacking Lucifer’s chambers, I wouldn’t have had a clue. I didn’t know whether I should be offended or not. Of course, seeing how I’d blown a gasket and poked old
Baalthy
boy in the chest, I figured Poe’s reluctance to let me in had more to do with that than the government agency perched across the street. Baalth didn’t have much to fear from the feds.

“Look, I know he’s pissed at me, but he caught me at a really,
really
, bad time, you know? Let me talk to him, and we can straighten things out. I also have a message he won’t want to miss out on.” I was tempted to flirt my way in, Poe having mistakenly shown me a part of his character he kept under lock and key, but decided against it. Getting to see Baalth wasn’t worth my grunting into a pillow. “Besides, the DSI thinks I work for Baalth anyway, so it’s not like you’re saving your boss the shame of being connected to me.” I plastered on a grin to punctuate my seriousness.

Poe sighed and waved me inside. “Baalth said to let you in if were you suitably humble and apologetic. We both know this is as close as it gets for you.”

So true. As a powerful mentalist who could read whether I was lying to him, he knew I wasn’t trying to bullshit my way in…at least no more than usual.

Poe shut the door and told me to follow. He led the way past the sales counter where a pimply-faced kid picked his nose and stared at us as we passed. In the back room, we wound our way around a minefield of cardboard boxes overflowing with comic books and nerd paraphernalia. Posters and cardboard cutouts covered the walls and shelves, advertising everything from Superman to Star Wars. I was jealous. Just don’t ask me to admit it in public.

Too busy checking out the life-sized Princess Leia in the slave outfit cutout, I nearly ran into Poe who’d stopped before a small desk stashed in the recesses of the store. He muttered something that didn’t sound cultured, but still ended with, “Mister Trigg,” and waved me to a seat. Baalth sat behind the desk, staring at me with a look that said, “You better be here to kiss my ass.”

I might nuzzle it a bit, but he wasn’t getting any tongue. “Uh, hi. Sorry about earlier. PMS.”

Poe rolled his eyes and went to stand beside his boss. Baalth stared and stroked the point of his black goatee. “I’m not quite sure what set you off, Frank, but I was serious about your lack of respect. I draw the line damn far back when it comes to you, but it’s still there. Don’t cross it again.”

Having grown up around Baalth and the other demon lieutenants, I’d always had a
casual
relationship with them thanks to being the Devil’s nephew, but that dynamic was out the window these days. Especially now that Baalth was the true power in the world with no other beings even close save for
Metatron
and possibly Longinus. Even if I didn’t work for him, it made sense for me to stop antagonizing him. I didn’t have many friends these days, and while Baalth could never be considered that, it made life a hell of a lot easier to have him in the ally column rather than the enemy; more so now than ever.

I nodded. Baalth knew me well enough not to expect much more. He could push the issue, but there wasn’t any point to it, so he let it go. He stopped stroking his beard and leaned back in his leather office chair.

“You made quite a number of enemies by standing alongside Heaven.” A quiet chuckle rumbled out. “It seems the
weres
and vampires have put a sizable price on your head for ruining their plans of world domination.” A small grin broke across his lips as I squirmed, unsure of how to replay. “That aside, you did the right thing.”

I stared at him, eyebrows raised as I waited for a laugh. It didn’t come.

Baalth’s grin grew a little wider. “I’m serious. For all their righteous indignation and holy blather, you saved far more than just the Kingdom when you woke
Metatron
from his guilty slumber. Lucifer would be proud of you.”

I snorted. While that kind of comment would have lit the wick a while back, it didn’t do shit besides piss me off now. “You know, I came to talk about Lucifer, but I’m certainly not interested in his feelings.”

“Then tell me, Frank, what were you doing in his chambers?” He raised an eyebrow. I had his attention.

“Looking for answers.”

He stared at me a moment, and then waved Poe out of the room. Once the mentalist was gone, Baalth sighed. “I read the letters you threw at me. It seems, perhaps, it might well be time to tell you the truth.”

Long past, but I kept that little comment to myself and sat quietly waiting for him to continue. I couldn’t keep the anger from warming my cheeks, though.

“Those letters are just a glimpse into the complicated relationship between Charlotte and Lucifer.”

“I’d like to hear the rest of the story.”

“Doubtful, but since you’re as stubborn as Lucifer, I know you won’t rest until you do.” He leaned forward and set his elbows on the desk,
steepling
his fingers before him. “It begins well before the snippet you stumbled across. Lucifer and
Arol
had long disagreed about the politics of Hell. After centuries of muted conflict, it had come to blows,
Arol
fleeing the Demonarch for the relative peace of Earth, as it was at the time. For years he wandered, living amongst the humans until he found a cause to settle in a tiny village in the Siberian tundra. That reason was your mother.”

I felt my stomach tighten, a sourness churning inside, but I pushed it aside so I could pay attention to what Baalth was telling me.

“The two were married under the auspices of the village elders, and you were born a short time after.” He smiled. “You were much cuter back then.”

“Azrael told me
Arol
wasn’t my father,” I said, ignoring Baalth’s attempt to lighten the mood.

“Azrael lies.”

My guts grumbled and twisted like roiling serpents. A sick knot formed as I listened.

“That
angel
was a major part of the reason your mother ended up dead. Though
Arol
had formed a family and left the politics of Hell behind, he could not let his feud with Lucifer go. It ate at him until he was forced to do something or be devoured by it. This is where Azrael comes in.

“Unable to defeat his brother on his own,
Arol
recruited Azrael to help bring Lucifer down.
Arol
would gain control of Hell, deposing his brother. Azrael would win God’s favor
and
that of the new lord of the underworld. Not bad friends to have. But Lucifer learned of their plan to overthrow him and confronted Azrael. The angel was cowed and confessed all that
Arol
had in store. Lucifer bound the angel to him and kept him close.”

I stood and took a deep breath, pacing in front of the desk, hoping to ease the strange feelings that had come over me as I listened to Baalth.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“Nerves, I think.” Despite wanting to hear every sordid detail, I wasn’t sure I was up for it, but I knew better than to stop Baalth when he was so willing to tell me. “Go on, I’m fine.”

He nodded. “Furious at his brother for daring to continue the conflict he believed settled, Lucifer struck first. Seeing no point in killing
Arol
, for the truly dead do not suffer, your uncle thought it best to wound your father where it would hurt him the most; in his heart. Lucifer turned Charlotte away from
Arol
, and set the people of his new home against him. While your mother and you were hidden, your father was chased from the village and left on his own once more.

“Never a kind man, not even to Charlotte,
Arol
laid waste to the village and set it alight, his fury stealing the last of his reason from him. He vowed to ruin Lucifer and go to war with Hell. Meanwhile, your mother learned of what he’d done to her village and family, and forswore their marriage. Grateful to Lucifer for having saved you both from the cruelties of
Arol
, she fell in love with him…after a time. Feeling obligated to protect the two of you from his brother, Lucifer saw to your protection personally. It was during this time that he learned what
Arol
had seen in your mother, and he too fell for her charms.”

“Did they have a child?” The question burst out of my mouth before I could stop it.

“No, though there were rumors of such,” he answered, shaking his head with confidence. “Lucifer dared not produce an heir. Longinus sat with the mantle of the Anti-Christ, and your uncle knew no child of his would survive to inherit the throne.”

“But the letter—“

“The letter you read was likely some small source of the rumors, as was your mother herself. Charlotte believed she was pregnant, at one point, but it was not so. For all their attachment, Lucifer was still betrothed to Lilith and he knew she would be the first to murder Charlotte were such a breeding to occur.”

My head reeled, white dots sparkling before my eyes. I dropped into the chair. A cold sweat broke out across my skin.

Baalth went on, undeterred. “As for your father, despite his bloodline, he was poorly suited to offer a true threat to Lucifer’s rule. He spent the next decade learning this cruel truth.”

“But he found my mother.”

“He did, at last, yes. Once more he could thank Azrael. As Lucifer became more and more distracted by
Arol’s
attempts at overthrowing Hell, Azrael saw the opportunity for revenge and to salvage his pride. He snuck away and made plans with
Arol
. As your father’s army massed and struck at Lucifer, Azrael led
Arol
to your mother.”

I leaned forward in the chair. Though I knew the aftermath of what had happened, I knew nothing of the details. “And?”

“Are you sure you want to hear this? You know well enough the cruelty of your bloodline…is it necessary to relive it?”

“Just tell me,” I blurted before I could talk myself out of it.

Baalth sighed and went on. “
Arol
found your mother in the barn. Azrael as a witness, your father raped her violently, viciously, showing her no mercy in flesh or spirit. You were out in the fields and
Arol
knew he had time. He took advantage of it. He spent the day violating Charlotte, butchering her before he was done.” His dark eyes met mine. “You know the rest.”

I covered my mouth as bile burned at the back of my throat. Memories flooded my mind and I relived the moment. I’d found my mother hacked apart in the barn. The hay scattered across the floor was stained red with her blood, the walls, the ceiling. Only her head was still recognizable, but just barely. The agony carved into her gentle face still fuels my nightmares.