From Hell with Love (8 page)

They were just outside the palace gates, which were as imposing as always, when they noticed a hunched-over demon walking down the path.  Niccolo noticed the black feathers and beak and instantly jumped off of Plague, who dissolved immediately.  When Niccolo landed, he rolled in order to disperse the momentum, allowing him to get to his feet easily.

“Damn it, Nico,” Cadmus cursed softly behind him, but Niccolo had no patience for his friend’s criticism.  He walked over to the demon with the raven head, stopping when he was within a yard of the creature.

“Amon,” he said, his voice low and sympathetic.  The bird turned to look at him, the eyes narrowing as it tried to recognize him, but after a moment its head twitched to the side.  When the demon opened its beak lined with pink gums, Niccolo could see the wolf’s teeth that made Amon so fearsome.

“Horseman, it has been some years since we last spoke.  How are you?” the bird asked as he brought up his skinny, scaled fingers of both hands and interlaced them, the sleeves of his brown robe falling to hide them from plain sight.  The bird’s face seemed to be annoyed.

“I’m…fine.  I’m more worried about you,” Niccolo said in a rare display of compassion.  Amon had never been especially kind to the Horseman, but Niccolo decided to ignore that fact.  The demon had lost his brother this day and, in some small way, he could sympathize with him.

“Worried about me?  This is a rare occasion.  No one ever worries for the Fallen, anymore,” Amon said, his head twitching to the side as he spoke.  It seemed that along with the raven’s head, the demon had inherited some other birdlike qualities.  While the two conversed, Cadmus approached them, trying not to interrupt.

“Well, I was there when…Räum…” the leper started to explain, but almost immediately the bird’s eyes narrowed and he looked down toward the cobblestones of the pathway.

“Oh, yes, I see.  A rotten business,” he said before looking back up and then twitching over to the reaper.  “Of course you were there.  The two of you are never far from each other.”

“I’m sorry, Amon,” Cadmus said as he came within speaking distance.

“For what?  Your duty?  Don’t be sorry, Horseman.  We Fallen owe you gratitude for dispatching our brother.  I’m ashamed that he had become so beastly and that he had become your problem,” Amon said, sadness seemingly absent from his words.  It was almost as if he had no attachment to his brother.

“I’m still sorry,” Cadmus insisted, which drew a stare from the avian demon.

“That is appreciated, child, but quite unnecessary.  You only claimed his soul.  The one who did the slaying was Crocell.  I…” he hesitated as he thought about the slayer, “I cannot even blame our brother.  Räum always had a weak constitution.  When we told the prophecies, he would fade in and out.  Although it was unfortunate he had become a beast, it was not entirely…unexpected,” he explained, twitching at the last word.

“You speak as if you’re not even sad he’s gone,” Niccolo said under his breath, but immediately the fallen angel stepped up and bared his wolf’s teeth.

“Insolent little wretch.  Don’t you dare accuse me of not caring!  He was my twin!  I have lost half of my
world
!” he shrieked, the feathers on his neck flaring out in his anger.  After a moment, the demon regained himself and stepped back from Niccolo.

“I am sorry.  It is…difficult to speak of such things with young souls.  I speak with such…detachment,” he said, twitching at each hesitation and glaring at the leper, “because I have had more than enough time with my brother.  When faced with eternity, death itself almost becomes…appealing.  To be completely honest, children, I am somewhat jealous of my brother.  It is only tempered by the fact that Räum had fallen so far from grace, even if we have all fallen in our own way,” the demon trailed off while turning his gaze to the street, clearly affected by memories of the past.

“I didn’t mean to offend,” Niccolo stated, which brought the raven’s head back up to look at him. 

“I did not mean to react in such a way.  Forgiveness shall be a mutual endeavor.  Now, Horsemen,” he said before ruffling his feathers and starting to walk away from the palace, “I have errands to attend to.  Räum left quite a few tasks unfinished.”

“Amon, can we talk to you for a moment?” Niccolo blurted out, causing the demon to turn slowly with confusion displayed through his avian features.

“Child, I believe we just did.”

“I wanted to extend my sympathies, first, but we have another matter to discuss,” the Horseman stated, which caused Amon to walk back toward the two humans.

“Whatever could you have to discuss with me, Horsemen?” he asked with annoyance, looking between the two riders.

“It’s about Räum,” Niccolo said, which caused Cadmus to grunt in disapproval, knowing what the leper was hoping to accomplish.

“Speak plainly, child, the Fallen are not accustomed to the games of humans.”

“The reaping was quite the ordeal,” Cadmus offered, stepping forward and claiming his role in the demon’s passing.  “I’m sure you know what happens when a reaper takes a soul.”

“Go on.”  Amon’s gaze was unflinching, which caused Cadmus to shift his weight nervously.

“Räum’s memories were…rather overwhelming.  I’m somewhat ashamed to say that it drove me from consciousness for some time,” Cadmus explained, which brought a shrug from Amon.

“Forgive me, but I’m not surprised that you were overwhelmed by the inheritance.  You’ve only existed for a millennium, correct?  Millions of years of memories could have driven you insane.  I’m sure things will surface for centuries, Rider.  In truth, I’m impressed that you’re standing right now,” Amon stated.  “If that’s all…”

“I inherit the powers of the slain, Amon,” Cadmus interrupted, getting impatient with the demon.  The raven’s head twitched at the statement and he stared hard into the reaper’s grey eyes.  Amon walked forward until he was within a few feet of the Horseman and almost seemed to smile.

“How interesting…I did not know that, reaper.  Are you implying you have inherited the future sight?” he asked, but Cadmus shook his head at that.

“No, Amon, but in a flash I was able to see the future, or at least what Räum had seen in his visions.”

“And what did you see?” Amon asked, inching closer to the reaper.

“I…that’s not what we need to ask about.”

“Tut, tut, Horseman, this game will not be so one-sided,” Amon stated, just slightly baring his wolf’s teeth.

“First,” Cadmus said, backing away and bringing his scythe in front of him, trying to ward off the raven’s aggressive behavior.  “First I need to know how to interpret it.”

“You should tell me what it was, Horseman,” the demon’s head twitched as it made the suggestion, but Cadmus shook his head.

“Would it be reliable, Amon?  Anything I saw?  Or could it just be something that Räum wanted to happen?  Could it just be some demented fantasy?  Would it be reliable even if it was just a vision?” Cadmus asked, keeping his gaze fixed on the black eyes of the demon.  Niccolo started to walk toward Amon’s side, in case the fallen wanted to attack his friend.  His wariness was averted when the raven’s mouth opened and a nasal laugh issued forth.

“Oh, so many questions from the child.  How
interesting
!” he squawked before pacing back and forth in front of the Horseman.  “To tell you the truth, reaper, this is all such a novel concept.  Almost…no, I shouldn’t consider that,” he muttered as he paced.  After a moment he looked back to Cadmus, his wolf’s teeth showing in a wide smile.

“To answer these questions of yours, Räum did have a habit of daydreaming.  My brother was bored with the present and would often create alternate realities in his head.  It was a boon to him after the Fall.  He could vividly recall Paradise.  However, I will say this: my brother was serious about his visions.  They were not as detailed as mine,” he bragged, which brought a scoff from Niccolo.

“Quiet, child.  Whatever patience I have for you will soon be at its end,” Amon said with a glare.

“I’m sorry, it’s just that the way you’re speaking,” he started, but Amon’s feathers ruffled out as he snapped his beak in Niccolo’s direction.

“Do you know how hard it is to tell the future, boy?  It is wading through a sea of interweaved threads and only one is correct!  That I’m able to tell any of it apart is a matter of skill and pride.  You have no idea how much of a headache
you
are!” he shouted, turning toward Cadmus, determined to think on the reaper’s questions, but Niccolo was not finished.

“I barely said anything,” the Horseman said, getting impatient with Amon’s behavior.  The raven was always short with him.

“It’s not what you
say
, leper, it’s
you
,” the raven spat out, twitching at the remark.  “You’re the only Horseman whose fate is…difficult to interpret.”

“What?” Niccolo asked, curious as to what Amon was getting at.

“Are you serious?  Do you not know the fate that goes along with your position?” the demon asked, his eyes narrowed in confusion.

“What fate?”

“You don’t
have
one, Horseman,” Amon said with annoyance.  “Each one of you has their role in the scriptures.  Cadmus is to be the reaper, Ajax will spread warfare all over the planet and Diogenes will cause sloth among the peasants.  Their roles are defined.  Your fate is… nebulous.  Your predecessor’s story was set to pass without the smallest complication, but you…” Amon trailed off before shaking his head.  “You’re one of the few people I cannot anticipate.”

“Enough!” Cadmus shouted to the two, losing the air of respect he had tried to cultivate.  Amon turned to him slowly and looked at him with those black eyes, a cold anger taking the place of his annoyance.  “Niccolo, just shut up, we have more important things to discuss,” he said while maintaining eye contact with the raven.  “How can I interpret your brother’s visions?”  Amon almost gave into his fury at the question, but he calmed down before regarding Cadmus in a cold manner.

“They are reliable.  The details might be slightly off, Räum was given to suggestions, but there is a good chance that what you saw will come to pass.  Now, Horseman, I must
insist
,” he said as he came within a foot of the reaper, his wolf teeth only inches away from Cadmus, “what was my brother’s last vision?”

“I had to kill a friend, Amon.  I wanted to know if I could avoid it,” the reaper lied easily.  He was not going to be intimidated by the fallen any longer.  With his head twitching from side to side, Amon regarded the statement for a moment, but eventually he backed away and sighed.

“Well, this is something you may avoid.  If you are in the vision, if you can place yourself
within
the vision, then you have the ability to stop it.  But Horseman,” he said as he turned to look at Niccolo with cold eyes, “you may not want to.”

“I leave you children to your devices,” Amon said as he turned and started to walk away from the palace.  “Though we are not finished.  We will have to speak more at a later time.”

The Horsemen watched the demon depart, not willing to say a word until he was out of earshot, but after Amon disappeared beyond a ridge they looked at each other with concern playing across their expressions.  Niccolo broke the silence first.

“Now we
have
to tell him.”

***

Niccolo pushed open the door to the throne room and was alarmed to see a woman in a golden dress talking to Lucifer.  The woman was alarmingly beautiful, with wavy, golden hair reaching down to her shoulder blades.  She looked over to the new arrivals with a coy smile, the red of her lips making her seem even more enticing.

“Now Cadmus I recognize, but who is this other one?  Is this your Niccolo?” she asked before turning to the ruler of Hell.

“And how could you tell?” Lucifer asked before looking at the Horsemen.  Niccolo’s face was flustered underneath his ratty hair, but he did not look down in reverence like Cadmus behind him.

“You did speak of his poor manners,” she purred as she walked over to the leper.  The slits along the sides of her dress allowed her pale legs to peek through with each step and the material fit so tightly that Niccolo could make out every curve of her anatomy.  He did his best to maintain eye contact with the woman, but that was even more disconcerting.  The woman’s eyes were completely white.

“That is his main problem, though Cadmus usually helps with that,” Lucifer said as he moved from his position near the shifting throne, setting his left thumb between his hip and the cloth covering his lower body as he approached.

“I can only do so much, Lucifer,” Cadmus said, using his scythe to support his weight as usual.

“Can’t blame the kid for that one,” the snide voice of Azazel came from the left.  While Cadmus looked to see the grey demon leaning against one of the pillars, Niccolo could not help but continue staring at the creature approaching him.

“He’ll learn, I think,” the woman said as she stopped a few feet away from the Horseman.  “Or maybe not, who knows?  I will say that his willpower is astounding.”

“My…willpower?” Niccolo asked, but the woman in the gold dress gave him a crooked smile in response.

“It’s not often that a mere human can keep eye contact with me, man or woman.  I have a sort of…appeal,” she said with a heavy breath.  “It has its uses, but I confess it’s troublesome when I deal with certain subjects.”

“Just who are you?” Niccolo asked, confused by her words.  It caused the woman to laugh lightly.

“
Lucifer
!  Have you not told him about me?” she asked, turning to the fallen angel and playing at being offended.  “I’m
hurt
.  I thought we meant something,” she said before turning back to Niccolo with a slight pout.  Lucifer groaned slightly before waving at the woman between them.

“Nico, meet Paimon, one of the Kings of Hell.”

“
Very
pleased to meet you, Nico,” she lilted, extending her pale hand.  “Scratch just wouldn’t stop talking about you.”

“Stop lying, Paimon, the kid doesn’t need that in his head,” Lucifer said as he approached them, stopping when he was by the demonic woman’s side.  Paimon laughed at the remark, but then shrugged before looking into the leper’s eyes.