A Book of Dust and Breath

Chapter Forty Five

Max crouched in the shadows at the edge of the cavern. Steep steps circled the outer walls, leading to the bottom where an island of black stone sat in a sea of churning lava, connected to the steps by a series of narrow bridges, like spokes on a wheel. His son lay, wailing, on a stone table in the center of the floor. Raboch sat on the end of the table, swinging his feet like a little boy at the dinner table. The enormous bulk of his form cast a dark shadow across the tiny infant.

Rage churned in Max's gut. Black hatred grasped at his heart.

"He is one of the created. Seek the way of love," the companion whispered.

A muscle jumped in his cheek as he ground his teeth together.

She surveyed the scene for a moment more. "He has fetters ready to hold someone."

"He intends to keep me until my father comes."

"Will Azrael come?"

Max pushed his hair away from his face. "No. I don't think so." Would he? He'd met Max with kindness and love at the moment of crossing. "Maybe. I don't know. He was given orders by the Council. He won't defy that." He pictured his father's face, sitting with the Council of Seven. Was that defiance in his eyes? Or humility? Rage? Concern? "I don't think he would defy that."

She nodded. "OK. Let's use it to our advantage. If we can focus Raboch's attention on you, my sister can get the child to his mother and our sisters can lead them from here.

"Then we can focus on destroying him."

"We will seek justice, but know that justice does not always follow our timetable."

"Today it will," Max said. "Here goes nothing." He stood and slipped down several steps, silent and quick. When he'd gone far enough that his point of origin was no longer clear he let his steps grow quicker and louder.

Low rumbling laughter rose up toward him. "You come, son of Azrael? A predictable little insect to be swatted?"

"Release my son, Raboch. Your kind have no claim on the innocent."

"Innocent? Oh, no, little reaper. In the veins of this child run the blood of one who has sought to destroy me. Am I not of the created? Do my kind have no place in the natural order?"

"Your kind forsook their place. This child had nothing to do with your poor judgement." The irony of his own words was not lost on him. The demon still sat on the table, making no move toward him, but watching him descend.

How Max longed for glorious wings like Daniel's, or the power to move about at will as his father could. In all his lifetimes he'd never felt so pathetically small and mortal. "I will take my son from here," he said, trying to sound stronger than he felt.

The demon hopped down from the table. The impact of his horny feet sent a tremor through the cavern. "You will beg for the mercy of oblivion and, if you can convince me to be generous, I will grant your wish." He stepped away from the center.

From the corner of his eye, Max noted a flash of motion, not more than the flicker of a shadow. The companions were in motion.

He leaped from where he was onto the bridge of stone that separated him from the demon. "Give me my son and I might let you live."

Again, the laughter filled the cavern. The sound swelled and grew, the echoes giving it a life of its own.

Liam's wails rose to new heights, mixing with Raboch's merriment to create a cacophony of pain and sick joy.

Raboch reached toward Max who ducked and rolled between his feet. He maneuvered to within inches of being able to reach the baby when the claws tore through his shirt and bit into his flesh. Leaping to press his feet against the edge of the table, he flipped backward, launching himself over the demon's head and landing in a squat behind him.

The beast turned, snarling, just as Max swung the chain he'd grasped from the floor. It slammed into the side of Raboch's head, sending him staggering. He swung a second time and with a roar of fury, the demon caught it. The back of his hand slammed into Max's face, lifting him from the ground and sending him into the air. His leg snapped under him wrenching an echoing groan from his throat.

Raboch lifted him by the front of his shirt and slammed him against the jagged stone wall four times in quick succession. Hot blood ran down the back of his neck and the room went dim in front of him. The chain was wrapped around his throat and hooked above him, so he had to stand on his toes to breathe.

"You're a failure, reaper. You failed to do your job on the earth. You failed to save your wife and son from my shadow crawlers. You failed to stop my plans to destroy your father. You are weak. You are pathetic. And you will burn for eternity, remembering always that you brought your misery on yourself."

"As have you," Max rasped as one of the companions launched herself from the stairs toward the demon, a silver scimitar clutched in her hand. She landed with her left arm wrapped around his face and her legs around his torso and pulled the blade across his throat. Plumes of black, putrid smoke billowed up from the wound. He staggered and fell back and, though she tried to jump out of the way, she fell with him, her legs pinned under the thrashing weight of the wounded monster. The weapon clattered away from her.

Max saw another, older, far more powerful demon step out of the shadows. Corzor. With the chain around his neck, he was powerless to shout a warning to the companion.

A foot, clad in a heavy black boot fell on her blade.

"Did you think it would be so easy? That a half-human and a single companion could defeat those such as us?" Corzor clamped a hand over the angel's arm and dragged her to her feet, pushing the steaming wreck of Raboch's wounded body out of the way with one foot. "Pathetic doesn't begin to describe you."

"You're a fool," she said. Even in the heat of battle, her voice retained its musical sweetness. She swung her free arm toward Corzor's stomach, a hidden knife shooting out from a band around a wrist. He dodged easily and threw a punch into her stomach that lifted her from her feet.

She fell to the ground and he kicked her hard enough to send her crashing into Max. Her weight knocked him off balance and the chain around his neck dug into his flesh.

Moving slowly, clearly off balance, the companion pushed herself to her feet, pulling another long blade from her boot.

Corzor grinned, showing his long yellow teeth. "How many knives do you have hidden in there, pretty one?"

"Enough to achieve my goal, foul beast."

Raboch growled, finally healed enough to rise up beside his master. He stepped toward the angel and she screamed, a powerful war cry that tore through the core of Max's being as he struggled to maintain consciousness. On the table, Liam fell silent.

At the sound, a second black shape came flying from the top ledge, soaring at astonishing speed toward the shorter, more powerful demon. The companion smacked into him, sinking her blade deep into his back.

Bellowing in rage, making no attempt to fight her, he stepped forward and snatched the unconscious baby up in one hand.

The angel dropped to the ground and watched as he held Liam over the fiery pit. "This child has brought me the reaper I sought. Make one more move and I will drop him into this fire."

From the tunnels all around the pit, shadows slithered upward, forming into human-like creatures with low, hissing breath.