Daystar (7 page)

Lucifer danced around her.
 
He brought his bat across the face of an angel.
 

Belial weaved her deadly blades near the crater’s edge.
 
She aided in Lucifer’s attack on the angels that dropped on Dahlia.

A body hit the crater and sent up a fountain of ooze.
 
Lucifer and Belial looked over on impulse.
 
Their eyes met over the corpse.
 
Furcas was near unrecognizable, limbs missing, his face carved up, and his hair shorn off.
 
The body sank underneath the ooze and slipped out of sight.
 
Lucifer erupted into flame.
 
“Barachiel!”

***

Andy skidded to a stop amongst the dead and dying humans.
 
He rallied the undead and pointed them towards the crater.
 
“Aid them!”
 
He jumped into the air and scanned the battle.
 
He saw Furcas fall into the crater.
 
Andy’s heart skipped a beat.
 
“Helion!”

Helion wheeled in the sky.
 
“Yes?”

“Get Furcas
out
of that crater!”

Helion dove.
 
Whitney’s screams parted the angels before him.
 
Helion hovered over the crater and stuck his hands into the ooze.
 
There was nothing to find.
 

Whitney let go of him and dropped down into the muck.
 
She shoved her fists into the material.
 
“He’s not there!”

Helion pumped his wings casting the liquid aside.
 
“He has to be here!
 
We saw him fall!”

“He’s not!
 
There is nothing here!
 
But maybe…”
 
Whitney took a breath and dove in.
 
Ooze covered over her head and settled.

Helion swiped at the muck.
 
“
Whitney!
”
 

She did not surface.
 

Helion shoved his hands in the material and came up with nothing.
 
He closed his wings and dropped into the muck, but it did not give her up.
 
There was no end to the viscous fluid.
 
He scratched at the surface.
 
“No!
 
Come back!
 
Whitney!”
 
His black eye pulsed.
 
“Whitney, you are
not
gone!”
 

The blackness from his eye spread into his face.
 
The surface of the hellish ooze bubbled.
 
A pale limb appeared.
 
Helion grabbed the hand.
 
He pumped his wings and pulled.
 

Belial grabbed his wrist and hauled him out of the crater.
 
The pair hit the ice.
 
Whitney came out of the mess coughing and gagging.

Belial helped them to their feet.
 
Helion picked Whitney up and took to the air.
 
Her black eyes saw nothing.
 
Her breaths were shallow.
 
Helion held her and flew for the Lilliam medics.
 
“What happened?”

Whitney trembled.
 
“I went to Hell.”

***

Uriel rejoined the battle in the air.
 
He sang a melody of his own creation.
 
He had not felt this happy in ages.
 
He had enjoyed hurting Andy, though he wished he had been able to give him more things to think on, more details to agonize over.
 
Uriel grinned and swept across in the sky.

He spotted Andy leaping into the air, scanning the ground, being helpful.
 
Andy was always helpful.
 
Uriel hated him, despised everything about him.
 
He had more plans for hurting him, the thought almost as alluring as having Belial again.
 
Uriel smirked and headed in his direction.
 
He pulled out a small blade of white light.

Uriel’s eyes caught on a flash of blonde.
 
He looked down and was ensnared.
 
Belial raced around the crater near Lucifer.
 
All other thoughts fled.
 
He had to have her.
 
Uriel dropped down.

Belial fought at Lucifer’s side.
 
The pair cut down angels in a deadly dance.
 
Uriel caught Belial by her hair and wrenched, lifting her off her feet.
 

Lucifer snarled and dove at him.

Dahlia screamed.

Lucifer turned and pulled Dahlia back as Michael’s spear sliced open her cheek.

Uriel pumped his wings and hauled Belial into the air.

Belial twisted and kicked Uriel in the face.
 
Her bare hands scratched at his gauntleted ones.
 
Uriel grabbed her throat and pulled her to him.
 
He grinned.
 
“Bel—”

Two winged bodies smashed into the pair, splitting them apart.
 
Archangel Jegudiel hit Uriel, sending the two spiraling away into the sky.

Selaphiel grabbed Belial and slammed her into the ground.
 
He covered her body with his and spoke to the sky, “You need to watch where you are going, Belial.”
 
He looked down at her.
 
“I suggest you stay by Andy, he always had the sharper reflexes.”
 
Selaphiel jumped off her and leapt into the sky to collect his brother before Uriel beat him to death.

Belial stared at the fleeing Archangel, unsure of what to think.
 
She shook herself and ran back to the crater.
 
Blood coated Dahlia’s face; the wound Michael’s spear gave would not heal.
 
She tired, her movements slowed.
 
Belial charged into the ooze and stood by Dahlia, sending waves of her own at Michael.
 
Lucifer resumed his attack on the angelic force around them.

***

Paimon flew around Gabriel’s machine.
 
He hummed and threw bombs at the controls.
 
He had shut off the light, but he had not quite destroyed it.
 
He whirled around and tossed another handful of grenades.
 
The bombs rattled across its surface and exploded.
 
The machine dipped in the sky.
 
Paimon grinned.

Gabriel shot up through the atmosphere; he flew past Paimon into deep space.
 
Paimon watched his brother go by, the Archangel on fire and screaming gibberish.
 
Furcas’ weapons hung around his neck like an obscene piece of jewelry.
 

Paimon shrugged and threw another bomb at the machine.
 
He flew backwards and gauged his progress.
 
What had once been beautiful and well crafted was now mangled and losing altitude.
 
Right on target in his opinion.

Paimon looked towards Earth, wondering what took Furcas so long to come back.
 
Flashes of gold and white caught his eye.
 
A maelstrom of power brewed in the clouds below.
 
Paimon flew closer to look; an Archangel flew out of the mess straight towards him.
 
Paimon backpedaled.

Barachiel stormed into space.
 
He saw Paimon and smiled.

Paimon frowned.
 
“What the fuck do you—”

Barachiel threw something at him.
 
Paimon caught it on reflex.
 
It was sticky, bloody, and metal.
 
He choked back vomit at the sight of Furcas’ arm.
 

Paimon forced his gaze to Barachiel’s body.
 
Blood coated the smiling Archangel in a red, clotting sheen.
 
Paimon locked his limbs to keep from shaking.
 
“What have you done?”

Barachiel laughed.
 
“I thought you might like something to remember him by.
 
I know I do.”

The blood drained out of Paimon’s face.
 
“
What have you done!
”

Barachiel flipped something back and forth in his hands, brought it to his nose, and inhaled.
 

Paimon’s breath caught in his throat.
 
He shot over in a burst of speed.
 
He snatched the braid from Barachiel.
 
He lifted the hair up to his face; it was soaked in blood.
 
He knew it was Furcas’ he had no doubt.
 
He wailed through clenched teeth.

Barachiel laughed at Paimon’s reaction.
 
“No witty retort?
 
No boasting?
 
Paimon, what has happened—”

Paimon slammed into Barachiel and wrapped his hands around his neck.
 
“What.
 
Did. You.
 
Do?”
 
He used the last of his fuel to cross the shield.
 
He sent them in a steep dive towards the planet.
 
“What did you do to him?
 
If you hurt him badly I swear to—”

“
Hurt
him?
 
Paimon, I
killed
him.”

Through the skin-to-skin contact, Paimon could sense the truth of Barachiel’s words, but he couldn’t accept it.
 
He shook his head.
 
“No.
 
He’s been hurt badly before, he’ll survive it.
 
He’ll survive!”

Barachiel smiled, not even attempting to fight back.
 
“I checked, after I cut out his heart and tore through his throat.
 
He did not complain as much as I thought he would when I sliced apart his face.
 
He was more of a stoic than I had imagined a boy could be.”

Paimon slammed his fist into Barachiel’s face.
 
“
Fucker!
”

Barachiel grabbed Paimon’s hands.
 
“He called for you and screamed your name in vain, Paimon.
 
You were not there for him when he needed you, just like I said.
 
He died
alone
.”

“Shut up!”
 
Wind whipped around them as they fell.
 
“You’re a lying piece of shit!
 
You could never have defeated him,
never!
 
He is stronger than you are!
 
Smarter than you!
 
He is better than you are!
 
He is everything you aren’t!”
 
Paimon blinked back tears.
 
“Furcas is clever, he tricked you!
 
He fooled you!”

“No, he did not, Paimon.
 
His corpse is to the ground by now.”
 
Barachiel met his gaze.
 
“Do you want to know what he cried about while I cut him?”

“Shut up!
 
You are a liar!”

Barachiel whispered, “He cried for Bean.”

“Bean?”

“Your daughter, is that not sweet?”
 
Barachiel smiled.
 
“She would have been something special.”

“
Would have?!
”
 
Paimon roared.

***

Uriel shook off Jegudiel.
 
He threw the sickened, delirious Archangel towards Selaphiel.
 
He pointed his blade at the brothers.
 
“Your brother touches me again and I will kill him, maddened or not.”
 
Uriel looked back towards the ground, but Belial had knotted close into the crater with Dahlia and Lucifer.
 
He growled.

Andy leapt through the air.
 
He jumped onto Uriel’s back and smashed the morning star into his head.
 
“You are back for more?”

Uriel twisted, looking up.
 
“Andrealphus!
 
Good, I wanted to continue our talk.”

“I don’t!”
 
Andy kicked Uriel in the back of the head, sending him into the ground.
 
He landed on Uriel.
 
They hit the ice and skidded along the surface.
 

Uriel knocked Andy off and stabbed him in the leg with a short dagger.
 
“Stay and
talk
, Andrealphus!
 
You love to talk!”

“Fuck!”
 
Andy hissed and darted away.
 
He held his leg; the wound did not heal.
 
His hand came away covered in blood.
 
Andy looked at Uriel’s weapon; it glowed like the spear.
 

“Yes, you see.”
 
Uriel watched his eyes.
 
“We were given new weapons.
 
He gave them to us before this battle.”

Andy limped along the ground.
 
He moved further away from the crater, hoping to draw the Archangel away.
 
“Toys, nothing more.
 
We have been injured before.”