Apocalypse's Horsemen (Devil's Assistant Series - Book 3)

Apocalypse's Horsemen [22]

“Yes, you can go. Just remember to take care of yourself. The world is dangerous right now and I do not want you getting hurt. Your father would not let me hear the end of it.”

“Okay,” he chirped before kicking his heels together and lifting up off of the floor. He rose rapidly towards the ceiling and before he could reach the ceiling, Hades waved his hand allowing the young boy to leave the underworld. Alone.

“Are you sure he should be going on his own?” I queried, staring at the ceiling as if that would allow me to know where the demi-god had gone and if he was safe.

“He may look like a child and he may act like a child but he is a demi-god. Never forget that. He will never fully grow up but he has a great mind and probably knows more about battle and strategy than all of us.”

Biting my lip, I nodded my head.

“Now, the angels should be here soon. So let’s get cleared up and we can decide where we go from here.”

The food had been cleared away, the kitchen cleaned and we had all retired to a smaller drawing room when our company arrived. I was expecting one or two emissaries from Heaven but there were over a dozen angels suddenly in the room. It was a little overwhelming. The very air felt charged with energy from so many angels in such a small space. Hermes came to stand beside us, appearing a little calmer now that he had been able to exert himself.

“Let us take a seat,” Hades gestured to the comfortable sofas positioned in a circle so we could all see each other. “We have much to discuss.”

Many moved to sit down but two broke apart from the group. My heart sang to see the two angels looking so well. Both had a glow about them that had been missing before.

“Gabriel,” I murmured as I pulled the stiff and proper angel into a hug. He was Danny’s father and had been my lover at one point in time but the man still remained stiff and unyielding in my arms. As I pulled back, I met his dark eyed stare and saw my own pain reflected within the depths of his soul.

“Savannah,” he sighed. His leant forwards and pressed his lips to my forehead. “I have my brother’s scouring the earth for Danny. His soul has not passed on so he still lives.”

My legs gave out beneath me. My hands clutched onto his brawny arms to stop myself from falling to the floor. It was such a small thing to hear. Danny was still missing, lost to us until we got more news but to know that my child was still alive was a small comfort.

“Thank you Gabe.”

He nodded his head and backed up a step. His brother pushed him out of the way with a playful shove and wrapped me in an even tighter hug. He didn’t say a word but then he didn’t need to. I breathed in deeply. He didn’t smell like the Zeke I knew and yet everything about his was comforting. He was like the big brother that I had always wanted.

“Zeke.”

He pulled away, placed a kiss on my cheek. The pair took their places on the chairs closest to us. Both had transformed in a matter of moments to warrior angels. Their faces had become black, their eyes hard and even their posture was different as they waited for us to begin.

I took a seat and allowed myself to become a part of the audience as Lucius stepped into the centre of the circle of angels. It may have been my imagination, but he seemed larger. He appeared to have grown a few inches and his body looked as if it had bulked up. He commanded the attention of every eye in the room as he moved around the circle, nodding to his kin.

“The horsemen have escaped their prison in Tartarus. The betrayals and attacks we have suffered in the past few years weakened and when the gate to hell was partially opened, they were released.”

Murmurs erupted about the room, several angels shifted uncomfortable, their white wings sliding from their backs to flap at their back in agitation. I closed my eyes as I remembered the events that had lead up to this; the betrayal of Phil, his son and his plans of Grandeur, Claudia.

“We encountered them a few hours ago and have discovered that not only can they hurt us but we can hurt them too. Our swords, once through their heart, will immobilise them. It won’t kill them and we will never be able to truly kill them – at least not without destroying the integrity of the world as it is. Our goal is capture and containment.”

“Who was hurt?” Gabriel asked stiffly.

“Castiel is currently in a healing sleep. We hope that we will return to us but it could be many months or years until he returns to us.”

“Do you have a plan?”

“The horseman will be on the move. Their last base was destroyed only a few short hours ago.” Lucius looked down at the floor, his fingers scratching at his stubble as he paced. “They will need to regroup. We want them to regroup in the right place. Somewhere that isn’t too densely populated.”

I shook my head at his words.

“They won’t come. They want to cause destruction. They want others to feel pain. They will want everyone to suffer as they have suffered. We will want this to happen where lots of people will be. I think they’ll draw us to them not the other way around.”

“Conquer and divide?”

Lucius nodded at the meek looking angel that had spoken. They appeared a child, much like Hermes and yet there was fierce intelligence within their eyes.

“If we work together, we can separate the horsemen. Together they will be too strong. I have seen the destruction that can bring. If they are allowed to draw on each other, they may be unstoppable.”

He ran a hand through his hair as he looked at the angels.

“Our problem is with the containment. It will be difficult getting close to the Horsemen, but once done, we need to find a way to contain them. They know how to get out of Tartarus already so we need a new stronghold.”

The angels appeared grave as they considered this.

“You want to lock up the horsemen? Isn’t that what caused all of this mayhem?”

“Yes and no. I have spoken with one who was there art time of their original imprisonment. The horsemen do not abide by laws or care about balance. They only care about satisfying their own desires. They were chaotic before their imprisonment. What we have seen so far is nothing in comparison to what they are capable of.”

It was Hermes who gave us a solution.

“What about the minotaur?”

He was leant against the wall, doing his best to remain calm and in control but already I could see that his entire body was begging to run, to fly.

“He’s dead.” One of the angels offered unhelpfully causing the young boy roll his eyes.

“I meant the maze. The Minotaur is dead and the maze is empty. What better way to imprison a horseman trapped in human flesh? The maze changes continuously and I heard Zeus tell father that the maze can be sealed permanently. Once sealed, only the one who sealed the maze can reopen it.”

“Thank you Hermes.” Gabriel offered the boy a nod of his head. “Do you know the location of the maze?”

His head nodded frantically as he bounced from foot to foot.

“I can take you there now. I know the way. I’m good at finding place, especially places that do not want to be found.” he jumped from foot to foot. “Do you know that Atlantis still exists? It’s just moved! I found it last year - even dad hasn’t found Atlantis yet.”

“Thank you Hermes. Can you get a map?” The young boy nodded his head and left the room without another word.

The next few hours or maybe it was days, it was hard to tell the difference in the underworld, were spent talking strategies and battle plans. Even with the additional support, the Horsemen would be a formidable opponent. But we finally had a plan. It was a weak one but it was the best we had.

Now all that we could do was wait.