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Authors: Ari Marmell
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bomb,’ if you will.”
War was nodding. “And you worry that Abaddon will use this bomb to start a war.”
“His emissaries have offered endless assurances that the weapon is to be a deterrent only. Yet we cannot trust the angels’ word, not when the device would prove utterly devastating against an unprepared foe.”
Yet again the heads traded off; the one on the left now spoke. “Too, there is the likelihood that, should Hell become aware of the sacrament bomb, they would launch a strike of their own, in an effort to capture or eliminate the weapon before it could be turned against them.”
“You want it destroyed.”
“Yes. Given time, we can work magics through the ethersof Creation to prevent Abaddon from re-creating the device, but the one he has already built would still pose a threat.”
War drew himself up, arms crossed over his massive chest. “Stealth and sabotage?” he spat. “Surely any one of my brethren would be more appropriate for that than I. Even if Death is occupied, Fury or—”
“Again you misunderstand us! There is to be no stealth. We desire to send a message, one that neither Heaven nor Hell can possibly misconstrue. The lords and generals of both armies must know that further research in these directions is unacceptable, and will be met with the most dire consequences!
“Do not sneak, Horseman. Do not hide. Your mandate is to travel directly and openly to the stronghold in which Abaddon has hidden the sacrament bomb; our spies have provided its location .
“And you are to go through anything and anyone that stands in your way!”
For the first time since he’d arrived in the Charred Council’s domain—indeed, for the first time in years—War felt himself smile.
CHAPTER FIVE
S TUPID . U NBELIEVABLY STUPID. ”
Though her words were accusatory, even petulant, Belisatra’s tone was flat and cold as a frozen lake. Only the fingers of her left hand, drumming a chiming beat on her armored thigh, gave any further indication of her exasperation.
They left smears of semi-congealed blood, those fingertips—the only remaining trace of recent, distasteful experimentations.
Her companion sat by the worktable, slumped bonelessly in a rickety chair that was clearly not long for this world, and old enough that it probably looked forward to going. In his lap, Black Mercy lay like a sodden lump of flesh—too grotesque to keep, too morbidly fascinating to throw away.
The triple cylinders turned constantly beneath his restless fingers.
Click. Click
.
Click
.
“It was worth the risk,” he said finally.
Belisatra glared at his hunched shoulders, as he seemed determined not to turn and face her directly.
“Worth the risk?” The ice in her voice was now sharp enough to draw blood. “You compromised our entire effort! The White City knows of our interest in Eden, now. They’veseen some of our best soldiers in action, and for what? My pets came nowhere near to reaching the gate, let alone breaking—”
He had trouble hearing her, absorbing the meaning of her words only several long breaths after she spoke them. For centuries, he’d had so little room in his soul for anything beyond bitter regret and simmering fury, at what had been done to him and to … to others. He was accustomed to that; perhaps even found some comfort in it. But now, something was stoking those fires, something new. His memories felt smothered in a stifling caul, the world around him tinged a venomous purple by the putrid hatred bubbling up through the cracks between his thoughts.
Only the deadweight of the pistol felt real, only Black Mercy looked stable in the center of his wavering vision.
Click. Click
.
“I saw an opening, and I took it,” he said slowly, cutting the Maker off in midstream. “The knowledge we might have gained, to say nothing of more tangible prizes, made it worth the gamble.
“Yes, we lost, but consider what we’ve learned. Your drones are of little use against angels,
War was nodding. “And you worry that Abaddon will use this bomb to start a war.”
“His emissaries have offered endless assurances that the weapon is to be a deterrent only. Yet we cannot trust the angels’ word, not when the device would prove utterly devastating against an unprepared foe.”
Yet again the heads traded off; the one on the left now spoke. “Too, there is the likelihood that, should Hell become aware of the sacrament bomb, they would launch a strike of their own, in an effort to capture or eliminate the weapon before it could be turned against them.”
“You want it destroyed.”
“Yes. Given time, we can work magics through the ethersof Creation to prevent Abaddon from re-creating the device, but the one he has already built would still pose a threat.”
War drew himself up, arms crossed over his massive chest. “Stealth and sabotage?” he spat. “Surely any one of my brethren would be more appropriate for that than I. Even if Death is occupied, Fury or—”
“Again you misunderstand us! There is to be no stealth. We desire to send a message, one that neither Heaven nor Hell can possibly misconstrue. The lords and generals of both armies must know that further research in these directions is unacceptable, and will be met with the most dire consequences!
“Do not sneak, Horseman. Do not hide. Your mandate is to travel directly and openly to the stronghold in which Abaddon has hidden the sacrament bomb; our spies have provided its location .
“And you are to go through anything and anyone that stands in your way!”
For the first time since he’d arrived in the Charred Council’s domain—indeed, for the first time in years—War felt himself smile.
CHAPTER FIVE
S TUPID . U NBELIEVABLY STUPID. ”
Though her words were accusatory, even petulant, Belisatra’s tone was flat and cold as a frozen lake. Only the fingers of her left hand, drumming a chiming beat on her armored thigh, gave any further indication of her exasperation.
They left smears of semi-congealed blood, those fingertips—the only remaining trace of recent, distasteful experimentations.
Her companion sat by the worktable, slumped bonelessly in a rickety chair that was clearly not long for this world, and old enough that it probably looked forward to going. In his lap, Black Mercy lay like a sodden lump of flesh—too grotesque to keep, too morbidly fascinating to throw away.
The triple cylinders turned constantly beneath his restless fingers.
Click. Click
.
Click
.
“It was worth the risk,” he said finally.
Belisatra glared at his hunched shoulders, as he seemed determined not to turn and face her directly.
“Worth the risk?” The ice in her voice was now sharp enough to draw blood. “You compromised our entire effort! The White City knows of our interest in Eden, now. They’veseen some of our best soldiers in action, and for what? My pets came nowhere near to reaching the gate, let alone breaking—”
He had trouble hearing her, absorbing the meaning of her words only several long breaths after she spoke them. For centuries, he’d had so little room in his soul for anything beyond bitter regret and simmering fury, at what had been done to him and to … to others. He was accustomed to that; perhaps even found some comfort in it. But now, something was stoking those fires, something new. His memories felt smothered in a stifling caul, the world around him tinged a venomous purple by the putrid hatred bubbling up through the cracks between his thoughts.
Only the deadweight of the pistol felt real, only Black Mercy looked stable in the center of his wavering vision.
Click. Click
.
“I saw an opening, and I took it,” he said slowly, cutting the Maker off in midstream. “The knowledge we might have gained, to say nothing of more tangible prizes, made it worth the gamble.
“Yes, we lost, but consider what we’ve learned. Your drones are of little use against angels,
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