Lord of Hell (Alex Holden) (19 page)

Odin, on his horse, rode up beside me. “What a sight this is.”

“Fucking awesome,” I agreed, but watching wasn’t enough.

The gate kept shuddering, harder now. I ran up and pushed my way through the demons. “Make some room.” When they saw who it was, they shuffled aside. Two feet from the gate, I took Animus in both hands and slashed at the bars. Sparks flew like tiny suns, bright enough to make me shut my eyes. The bars still held, but a notch was cut an inch into them. The bars of the gate were strong, but not thick. I slashed again and again, each time throwing up sparks. On the fourth slash, Animus cut through and one of the huge doors of the gate buckled.

“Hit it again!” I stepped back and demons moved in to finish the job. The door groaned, the bottom half falling in against the strength of the demons. The top half of the door toppled and I lifted a hand. It froze before it could land on my demons and I shoved, sending it crashing into Saint Peter’s desk.

Through the gap, demons poured into Heaven.

The other door of the gate was torn off and then collapsed, sending up a puff of white cloud. Part of the fence surrounding the gate bent inward as more and more of the army rushed through.

A mass of black fur appeared beside me. I turned to see Mew-Mew, grown to the size of a horse.
Want a lift?
His eyes were bright with the same eagerness I felt.

Sure.
I hopped up, knees just behind his shoulders and my right hand gripping his fur. Riding a giant black ghost cat, I went through the broken gates.

For a full minute, at least, there was no resistance. Then they started to appear in the sky. Angels.

“Here they come!” someone shouted. All eyes turned up as more and more appeared.

Several demons tensed, ready to jump into the sky. “Wait,” I told them.

A few hundred yards away, the angels started to land. I’d expected a huge counterattack, but the angels stopped coming. There were only a few hundred standing between us and the bright city in the distance.

The lead angel lifted his sword and signaled the attack. They must have been stalling for a larger force. Fine. We’d use them as a warm-up.

“Attack!”

The demon horde looked so out of place on the white fluffy clouds. Yelling and growling, they rushed toward the small force of angels. The angels didn’t quite run, but jogged toward us in orderly ranks, row upon row of them. The armies collided. I stayed back, watching, waiting for some kind of trick. But there was nothing. The angels tried to stay in formation, but the demons tore through them. I found out that angels bleed silver. Some of the demons recoiled at the touch of the angels or their weapons, but most of them fought with glee.

“Is that it?”

I looked down to find Hayley beside us. “No,” I said. “They must be stalling us for something. Maybe they need more time to mobilize the whole army.”

She made a face. “I kind of thought angels would be harder to kill.”

“Me, too.”

Semiazas joined us. “Those are guards and messengers. Not warriors. They are meant to slow us down, nothing more.”

In a few minutes, it was over. The demons cheered, silver blood shining on their weapons and teeth. I felt bad for the angels, but I reminded myself they were loyal to Jehovah. They would send out plagues and cause destruction at his bidding. I was here to save the world, and they were in the way.

We marched on as a second force gathered. Some of them stayed in the sky while others gathered on the ground. “More guards?” I asked Semiazas.

He studied the angels, looking for something in particular or judging their movements, I wasn’t sure which. “Some of them are. And there are warriors among them.” He drew his weapon, a massive broadsword that sat across his back, nestled between his stunted wings.

Odin drew up beside me as we made a slow march toward the growing army. “Let my men have this fight. They are eager.”

“So are mine.” I grinned at him. “We’ll take them together—half of your division and half of mine.” I glanced up. “We might need a few Valkyries.” I spread my wings, stretching them.

Hayley grabbed my leg. “I’m coming, too.” Her wings appeared, leathery black.

I wanted to tell her to stay behind, that fighting in the air was more dangerous, but she had the same training I did. A little less time, but she’d caught on so fast I could hardly tell the difference. There was no reason to hold her back, except that she was my girlfriend.

Odin laughed. “You have a Valkyrie of your own.”

“Yeah, I do.” I nodded to Hayley and sent my orders back through the troops. Two squads in the air with me, half the troops to attack on the ground with Odin’s warriors. We kept marching forward, closer and closer to Heaven’s army. Again, they charged first. I gave the signal to attack and launched into the sky.

Hayley was right beside me, Valkyries and winged demons forming up around us.

I attacked my first angel. Our swords clashed, the sound ringing in my ears.

“Demon! Go back to Hell where you belong.” His blue eyes burned with anger.

“Not until I’m done here.” I shifted, trying to get past his guard, but he moved fast enough to block me. Fighting in the air took more concentration—I had to think about keeping myself flying while trying to attack and block. I’d had training, but really you can never have too much. The real thing was harder.

The angel managed to graze my right arm, but my armor protected me. I growled and lunged forward while he was pulling back from the strike. At the last second, I shifted to the side and lashed out, slicing across his chest and side. Animus got her first taste of angel blood.

He spun and knocked her aside, preventing a deeper wound. Silver blood dribbled out and stained his white robe. Another angel slipped past the Valkyries and came to the aid of his companion. Now I was fighting two of them, and even with one of them injured, it was tough. I spent more time dodging and blocking than attacking.

Then a sword flashed and the wounded angel fell screaming. Hayley grinned from the spot where he’d been and turned on the remaining angel. I joined her, going low while she went high, and his bleeding body went tumbling to the ground seconds later.

The area immediately around us was clear. I arched an eyebrow at her. “You’re enjoying this.”

“I blame video games.” She smiled again.

I laughed and glanced around. The demons and Valkyries had the upper hand, outnumbering and ganging up on the remaining angels. I looked down to see how things were going on the ground. The immediate fight seemed to be going well. I saw far more demons and Norse warriors than angels remaining. But from this vantage point, I could see much farther and spotted what was happening behind a hill-like rise in the clouds. Another army was forming, far larger than the one we were fighting.

“The real fight is still coming.” I pointed with my sword. Animus was dripping with silver blood and I flicked her to clean the blade.

The smile fell from Hayley’s face. “That… doesn’t look like fun.”

“I need to go plan our next move.” I left Hayley in the air and went back to Mew-Mew.

What is it?
he asked, sensing my worry.

“The real army is gathering over that rise. I need to talk to my generals.” Runners went out and within moments they were all assembled in a loose circle. I gave them the scoop, and Odin added more detail from his Valkyrie scouts.

Early on in the planning, several of the gods had tried to usurp my spot as leader, saying they were vastly older and had more experience, which was totally true. But this was my fight more than theirs. I’d argued my way into staying in charge, although I leaned heavily on the gods and demons of my war council for advice and tactics. The final decisions were mine, but I rarely overruled advice, especially when several of the others agreed on something. By meeting with so many war gods for months, as well as training with them, I’d given myself a crash course in army tactics. And like Hayley said, the video games helped, too.

“Set, Morrigan, and Ares, you take your cavalry around this side and catch them from behind. This hill is exactly where the map says it should be, so we’re going to assume this other hill and the valley are in the same place, too. That should provide cover for your attack. My cavalry will ride out in front of the main attack, crush the first rank of their army, then draw back. The warriors on foot will rush forward for the second attack. My division, Naamah’s, and Odin’s.” The little figures I conjured moved on the sketch of the battlefield, almost like a video game itself.

“Rama and Kali, you lead the third attack to give the other groups a rest. By then the cavalry of you three should have worked its way around, and we can all move forward for the final attack.”

I looked around the circle at their faces. Some were eager, some somber. “Let’s do this.”

Chapter 22

The first cavalry attack was a rush. I charged in on Mew-Mew and we slammed into the first row of angels. Mew-Mew’s claws were the size of daggers and he tore into them. I slashed away from where I sat on his back, cutting down half a dozen angels in the first few minutes. We shoved through, leaving a trail of dead and wounded. Screams and shouts filled the air, almost deafening.

Mew-Mew yowled as a warrior stabbed him with a spear. I growled and sent out a wave of fire, clearing the area a few feet around us as angels collapsed, burning, or backed away from the flames.

Are you okay?
I asked.

Just a flesh wound, and I don’t even have flesh.
He glanced back at me with humor in his eyes.

All right. Time for a break anyway.
I shot three bursts of fire into the air, the signal to withdraw. The cavalry backed off and the next wave of warriors rushed forward.

I noted with pride that demons were dragging their wounded comrades back from the front lines, just like I’d told them to. Looking out for each other, even if they were only doing it out of obedience. In time, I hoped they’d do it out of genuine caring. Naamah and her cult had grown a lot over the months we’d been training. Some of them had been swayed when they realized caring for humans didn’t mean they had to be weak. Some of them liked the idea of fighting, even if it was for the sake of the mortal world and humans, more than they liked tormenting weak humans who could barely fight back.

And a surprising number of demons had realized they’d never really hated humans. They were just taking out their anger against Jehovah on them. Now that they had a chance to direct their rage at the real target, they were more than willing to follow me.

The warriors made a dent in the enemy ranks and drew back at my signal. Just as the third attack was about to start, Jehovah showed up.

He must have been waiting at the back of his army. He marched forward through his angels and they moved out of his way. With every step, he grew taller and taller. He was twenty feet high when he stepped out into the empty space between our armies. Pointing a huge hand, he said, “Alexander, I want to talk to you.”

It’s a trick,
Mew-Mew said.

I’ll be fine.
I hopped off his back. Was it a trick? Was it a good sign or a bad sign that he wanted to talk to me?

I walked toward Jehovah with a bit of a glare. Animus was sheathed, for now. I could probably make myself bigger if I wanted to, but I was fine staying normal size and looking up at the Christian god. “What is it?”

“I am going to be extremely generous and give you one more chance to leave this alone. You have killed hundreds of my angels, but I am willing to forgive that. I am a forgiving god.”

I snorted. “Yeah, when people beg—”

Jehovah cut me off. “And what do you do when people beg? Did you not spare Naamah’s life?”

“That’s not the—wait, how did you know about that?”

He crouched down a little so I could see his smile better. “I have eyes and ears everywhere.”

Spies. Shit, now I had to wonder who it was, and how many there might be. “Why am I not surprised you have snitches?”

“Such hatred and ridicule. You truly are your father’s son.”

That was such a deliberate jab I barely reacted to it. “Get to the point.”

“Impatient as well,” he said. “If you stop this now, take your army and leave, I will consider allowing your human friends into the paradise of the new Earth.”

Chillingly similar to the deal Joshua had tried to make with me. Maybe they just thought alike, or maybe daddy had given him the idea. “So I back off and you let me and my friends into your new world. Where you’re in charge, of course.” Didn’t sound like much of a paradise to me.

“No, I said your human friends. Not you.” His mocking smile was gone.

“So I don’t even get to survive your Apocalypse? That’s a pretty shitty deal.”

“But would you give up for the sake of your friends?”

Animus hummed at my side, impatient with all the talking. “Why make a deal at all? Why ask me to walk away? Unless you’re worried that I might win?” The corner of my mouth turned up in a smirk.

Jehovah laughed. It wasn’t a pleasant sound. “I was simply wondering if you had a sense of sacrifice. If you were capable of it. You are as selfish as your father.”

A little shimmer played in the air as my body grew hot. “Selfish? What the fuck are you talking about? I’m here to save the world from
you
.”

“I am God Almighty, and you are no more than a demonic
child
playing hero.” His voice boomed, shaking the ground. “It is not for you to decide the fate of the Earth or to defy my will.”

“You’re a fucking asshole is what you are.” I clenched my fist, itching to pull out my sword and get down to business. “You can’t just throw away the world because it isn’t good enough for you. It’s not a toy. There are people and animals who live there, and they don’t deserve to die.”

“I created the Earth and everything in it. It is mine to do with as I please.” He was tense, light emanating from him and making him harder to look at. I expected him to hit me with one of his huge hands any second. Or try to zap me out of existence.