The Black Madonna (The Mystique Trilogy) (13 page)

Polaris squatted next to the demon and glared at it. ‘What have you done with Emmett Rich?’

The creature grinned. ‘A bit precious, is he?’ And it gave a great heave.

‘Watch out!’ I cried, but too late to prevent the monster vomiting green bile into Polaris’s face. The fluid burned into his flesh like acid and he fell to the ground, gritting his teeth and kicking his feet in an attempt to control the pain whilst his heightened metabolism set about healing the wound.

As I rushed to aid our fallen comrade, Albray took aim with my weapon and shot the demon full of cosmic light.

I knelt beside Polaris. ‘What can I do?’ I asked, but he waved me back to our captive.

As loving energy filled the creature, it began to purge the black residue of its Orme addiction. Before long, all trace of its demonic nature had vanished to be replaced by the glittering ethereal being he’d once been. I restored the floor to its former state, and all the paraphernalia the Nefilim warrior had been carrying was left sitting on its surface.

‘What have you done with Emmett Rich?’ Albray was in the spirit’s face before he had time to realise what had happened.

I am free!
He wasn’t interested in questions; he just wanted to celebrate his release from his worldly burdens.

Albray spotted the wristband that housed the Orme spike lying on the ground and retrieved it to threaten the witness. ‘Answer the question or I’ll spray you with this stuff and send you right back to hell.’

I am sure I haven’t done anything to him
, the spirit replied, looking saddened by Albray’s aggressive stance.
Who is Emmett Rich?

‘Great!’ My husband flung his arms in the air, knowing the being could no longer lie. Then he turned back to the spirit. ‘Which of your brethren are currently attempting to take Meridan station?’ He would know that much at least.

Our lord sent Namtar and Erragal to take the station.

‘Erragal knows where the frequency fence’s control centre is,’ I advised. ‘He’s one of Tamar’s primary targets.’

‘Well, what are we waiting for?’

We all turned to find Polaris on his feet, his face nearly restored. ‘Let’s go get them on side.’

Before exiting the canteen, I looked at the discarded technology on the floor and spotted a small module. I retrieved it, guessing it to be the Nefilim’s new auric simulator.
This ought to interest Levi
, I thought, and tucked it into my pocket before following my teammates outside.

We escorted our captive to the
Klieo
, which was hovering unseen high above Montségur. Levi flew her down and picked up the Anu stray for safekeeping until we got back.

‘This is going to be intense,’ Albray commented as we made our way towards the entrance to the caves, which was also where the bloody footprints led. ‘Be prepared.’ He tried not to sound like he was giving me a lecture as he handed my weapon back to me.

‘Erragal wasn’t made King of the Underworld and a major confidant of Ill’s without good reason,’ Castor warned. ‘And Namtar is better known as the fate cutter, as he too is a harbinger of disease and pestilence. He usually associates with Ishtar, so I’d say he’s probably the Nefilim who’s been posing as—’

‘Morell Labontè,’ Albray and I chorused.

Which raised another concern.

‘So what if we do take him out?’ I said. ‘How are we going to explain all these dead bodies and mysterious disappearances?’

‘You don’t,’ Polaris said simply. ‘As it’s time for you to disappear along with everyone else.’

I didn’t feel ready to face such a huge life change. ‘So that’s it? My career and my life here are over?’

‘What do you mean?’ Castor said. ‘You’re only just embarking on your true vocation now.’

‘But what about my publishing deal?’ I felt very disappointed about that. I’d been told by Lugh Lamhfada that it was my destiny to share
the story of my bloodline with the general populace. ‘I still have book three to hand in.’

‘If the last manuscript shows up anonymously, do you think your publisher would hesitate to capitalise on that?’ asked Albray, who was used to operating outside the boundaries of time. ‘Especially considering that huge advance they paid you.’

‘True,’ I conceded, ‘but without proof it came from me, then—’

‘If it means so much to you, I’ll personally take you back in time and you can hand your publisher the last two manuscripts at once,’ Polaris offered.

‘Wow!’ My mind boggled, as this meant that in some future reality I’d already finished writing my trilogy. ‘I’d greatly appreciate that, Captain.’

‘Then consider it done.’

Polaris took out his liquid-light gun as we descended the deep, dim stairway that led into the caves beneath Montségur. At the bottom, I took the lead and, each employing our third-eye vision, we proceeded in darkness. I followed the contours of the cave’s light-body, which were as plain to me as if I’d been wearing infra-red goggles.

As we drew close to the tunnel entrance that led to the annexe containing the hidden gateway to Meridan station, I noticed some dark shadowy anomalies up ahead. When the shadows began to move towards us, my companions opened fire. As the liquid light spread through the shadows’ forms it was plain to see that they were Dracon. I needed no further prompting and opened fire myself, blazing a trail with my superior weapon to the annexe where the Nefilim who had posed as Albray earlier awaited us. Only now he was wearing his Nefilim persona and was no longer incapacitated as I had left him. He exhibited the same demon-like features as the Smiter, only he was far more sinister and much better dressed, in a stylish black suit, glittering gold cape and wide-brimmed hat.

I didn’t stop to chat, I just opened fire.

Namtar wrapped the cape around himself and bowed his head—his Orme-reinforced clothing formed a shield that my light-bullets bounced off. All four of us fired upon the target at once, but, unable to get a clear shot, we ceased wasting ammunition.

Namtar chuckled at our attempts to take him down and raised his head slightly to view us. His focus came to rest on Albray. ‘Well, if it isn’t my wife’s toy boy. She just can’t wait to see you again.’

Albray fired upon the beast, who resumed his protective stance and then vanished completely. ‘Shit!’

‘He’s not called a god of dis-ease for no reason,’ Polaris advised my husband. ‘Don’t let him bait you.’

The captain gestured to me to open the gate. ‘We’ll get Namtar later,’ he said. ‘The priority is to get Erragal out of the Signet station.’

I closed the gateway behind us and we followed the path through the crystal formations that led to Meridan station. When the station itself came into view, my company were completely in awe of the celestial structure, but there was no time to stand around and discuss the dynamics of my design.

We were hurrying down the main hall to the control centre when a whistle brought us to a halt outside the historical reference room, located through an arched doorway to our left. There we found Erragal, still wearing Emmett’s form, comfortably sprawled on a lounge reading a book.

‘Interesting stuff, Meridan,’ he said, tilting the book to show us the cover. It was entitled
The Black Madonna
and I was shocked to see I was the author. ‘It’s the final book in your trilogy,’ he told me before shifting his gaze to Albray. ‘Haven’t you been a naughty boy,’ he grinned.

Albray was riled by the comment, but before he, or any of us, could fire, a shadow moved past us, spraying all our torsos with a thick coating of gold. It hardened like stone, completely incapacitating our upper body and arms. The shadow was a
jinn
, a demon conjured through blood sacrifice from the lower etheric world. The Nefilim and the Dracon used these creatures for protection from higher ethereal forces and frequencies, as they acted like a low-grade etheric shield, too dense for higher frequencies to penetrate. They could also perform physical tasks for their masters—like coating us all with the dregs of Erragal’s spray paint.

The
jinn
took a second pass at us, spraying the men’s feet to immobilise them completely.

‘Goddamn you!’ Albray cursed.

‘Yes, he has,’ Erragal said, getting up to remove our weapons. He was especially impressed with my gun. ‘Just what I need,’ he taunted me.

‘That is a creating weapon, what could you want with it?’ I spat back.

Erragal didn’t know about my rediscovered talent of manipulating matter, so I wanted to pump him for information while he still felt he had the upper hand.

‘Before I became engrossed in your book, I was reading this.’ He motioned to an old scroll unfurled on one of the tables. ‘It’s the true story of King Arthur,’ he glanced to Castor, ‘as written by Magdalen.’ He turned back to me. ‘It tells me that Signet Station Eleven is where the Rod of Power has been hiding since the Dark Ages, and as you’ve now supplied me with this weapon, I can reactivate the porthole and use it to get to any damn Signet station I please.’

Obviously he didn’t realise the station was being monitored from the Hall of Records. ‘Only I can use the porthole,’ I warned. I didn’t want a repeat of today’s emergency.

‘Not true,’ Erragal said, to my annoyance. ‘Only you can open the porthole, it’s true. But once you have…it’s free passage for all who manage to gain entry to your station.’

I looked to the menfolk, hoping he was lying, but judging by the looks of horror on their faces it seemed he was right.

‘I know all you bloodline bitches have a superpower of some sort,’ he went on, and produced the stun-gun I’d used to restrain Namtar earlier. I’d left it in the Signet station as I didn’t want to be carrying weapons during my audience with the Council of Aramatena. ‘Still, I wouldn’t get any grand ideas if you cherish your teammates here.’ The demi-god emptied the gun of its incapacitating darts and replaced them with a cartridge from his pocket. ‘These darts are filled with Orme, and although it would be a great waste of life-juice to off your friends without sucking them dry first, my spook…’ he tossed the weapon to the
jinn
, which instantly aimed it at my husband, ‘…won’t hesitate to damn them all to hell if you don’t cooperate.’

My companions looked at me, wondering if I was going to call his bluff. Exposing my abilities to one of the enemy wasn’t a wise idea, but I couldn’t stand back and do nothing. I focused on the stun-gun and willed it to melt.

‘Are we clear?’ Erragal interrupted my concentration.

My mental instruction seemed to have no effect on the weapon. I could only conclude that my will was unable to penetrate the
jinn
’s dense, low-grade etheric matter. Erragal must have summoned this demon from the deepest, darkest realms of density and I shuddered to think what kind of blood sacrifice he’d arranged to secure its services.

‘I understand,’ I said.

My companions looked stupefied that I hadn’t rearranged the universe to our advantage, but I shook my head at them, hoping they would understand that my hands were tied.

Erragal didn’t know what I was really capable of, so I might still be able to play my hand when we were beyond the range of his demon.

‘This shadow and I are telepathically joined and it sees all I see,’ Erragal warned me. ‘The second he suspects you of dicking me around, he’ll damn all your lovers beyond where even this,’ he raised the liquid-light machinegun, ‘will bring them back.’

‘What does he mean “lovers”?’ Albray looked at Polaris and Castor.

‘Don’t let him bait you,’ Polaris reminded him.

‘Because I might find out something you don’t want me to know?’ Albray spat back.

‘Oh, this is too much fun!’ Erragal cried. His attention shifted from me to my teammates. ‘I would stay, divide and conquer some more, but Meridan and I have many an important engagement to attend before your little superwoman returns in the morning.’

How could he know that Tamar wouldn’t be back until tomorrow?

‘Let’s go, angel.’ Erragal grabbed me with one hand, still holding my huge weapon in the other, and dragged me towards the station’s exit, leaving the men to stew under the guard of his demon.

‘What have you done with Emmett Rich?’ I asked, making conversation.

‘It’s a shame you need your mouth to open the gateway, because I would truly love to close it permanently,’ the demi-god said without
breaking his stride. ‘Still, then I couldn’t do this.’ He turned and shoved his tongue in my mouth. I gagged.

‘Every time you ask me a question, I’m going to do that, and next time it won’t just be my tongue I stick in your mouth,’ he said with a grin. ‘Anything else you want to know?’

When I declined to answer, he resumed dragging me along the pathway through the outer crystal structure. He was obviously expecting to find his Dracon friends awaiting him on the other side of the gateway, but when I opened it he would behold a bunch of Anu angels instead. So I complied with his order to open the porthole, and was stunned when Namtar and a horde of Dracon greeted us.

‘There is nothing you can do that we cannot undo,’ Namtar explained with glee as he pushed past me into Meridan station. ‘Time to go fetch your husband for my wife.’

I was so tempted to retaliate with a show of force, to bring down those huge crystals on top of these destructive beings, but that wasn’t my mission. My mission was to save every living soul on Earth; besides which, the
jinn
that was linked telepathically with Erragal had an Orme bullet aimed at my husband. I had to bide my time, and try to get Erragal into the control centre so that Denera could see what was unfolding here.

I began to sing the note that closed the gateway, but Erragal clamped a hand over my mouth. ‘Leave it open,’ he said, and shoved me back inside the station.

Namtar was keen to get to Albray, and Erragal directed him to the historical reference room. Namtar disappeared through the archway and his Dracon troops positioned themselves down the station hallway and at the entrance, to fortify their position.

Erragal dragged me down the hall. I wasn’t as resistant now, as I wanted to reach the control station as quickly as possible. Still, if I didn’t put up some kind of fight, he would become suspicious. We reached the bridge to the control station, and Erragal could not fail to be awed by the sight of the crystal walls of the cavern glowing with Blue Flame energy, which they drew down into the core of the Earth from the huge pyramid above.