Esther Benson
“MY soul is in there and in question,” I screamed at Kiriana who stood guard in the room.
“Lucifer is in the room. The Lucifer. Next in line to rule the underworld. Let’s let Gabe handle this one.”
“Your soul is safe with Nye’s, being guarded by Nye. Mine…” My hyperventilating made me wonder what was going on. Had my soul been compromised? Was I being pulled into the great beyond…to Hell? Serving out a sentence that wasn’t truly mine. Not really. It was my father’s. He killed me as sure as if he’d pulled the trigger himself.
This needed to be handled. I needed to help out in the streets. Demons had emerged from a second hole. Not uncommon, but usually a few came through multiple holes, not one big one. And definitely not two large ones.
“Release Damarion,” I said as clarity set in. “It’s the only way.”
“To what? Get back your soul? The last thing Lucifer wants is for his sister’s lover…” Kiriana pushed past me, sending me into the arms of Nye.
Unsettled I watched as she stormed into the room. Vincent lay on the floor and Nye tightened his grip on my upper arms. Struggling against the hold I saw Kiriana play her last card.
“I’ll bring him to you,” she said. “Damarion. You want him for a wedding or to torture. I don’t care. He’s who you want, right?”
“Not really,” Lucifer scoffed. “You can keep him locked away until my sister loses her mind for all I care.”
“Then how about I release him to her custody?”
“How about I remove you from the discussion?” Lucifer reared back and Vincent stabbed him through the leg with my claustranima.
The groan from Vincent told of his agony and Lucifer’s rage exploded through the ceiling. Beams of light cut through the concrete and metal as dust particles fell. Pivane got up on one leg to cover Dr. Pound with his body. A demon protecting a human?
Lucifer’s pants caught fire and I saw my knife was still buried in his thigh. When I removed it he sent me flying into the wall. Even a wound from my claustranima wouldn’t kill him, not to his leg. I’d need to stab him through the chest and there was no way I could do that.
“I could have saved her,” Lucifer crowed. “Your human, Pivane. I could have saved them all. Now I will wait to claim her soul as my own.”
Lucifer disappeared in a ball of flame.
“Return to the streets,” Gabriel ordered me. “You have your soul back, now fight to save this town. It’s been years since we’ve had to deal with a run like this.”
“But…” I looked at Vince with his eyes heavy as he tried to reach for me.
“Oh, my God,” Meegan cried out as she slid across the floor on her knees to Vincent’s side. She cradled his head on her lap. “Say you’re okay. Please say it.”
Vince tried to mouth words, but nothing came out.
“What is going on here?” Meegan looked up at the stars through the ceiling. “Is that…what happened?”
“Aren’t you being treated downstairs?” Kiriana asked.
“Return to the fight,” Gabriel ordered me again. This time I didn’t hesitate. “Then prepare for the move. This run will be over soon and then we’ll need you in Lagos next.”
“Lagos? That’s…” My eyes caught sight of Vincent struggling still with words as Meegan stroked his forehead. “Yes, my Lord, I will check in with Schmitty. He is the one coordinating, correct?”
“With Kiyoshi, whoever answers first.”
Free of the hospital I called Schmitty as tears streamed down my face. He didn’t answer. Neither did Kiyoshi. Zarmina was tech support. She’d be around and keeping a close eye on everything.
“Z, I need to be assigned an area?”
“Only if you ask nicely.”
“Zarmina, since when do you play games?”
“Zarmina isn’t much fun I have to agree, but the toys she has…” The princess chortled. “So inventive.”
“What did you do to her?” I snarled.
“Nothing yet.” The princess sighed. “I just have her pinned down.”
“You put pins in her?”
“No…but you have good ideas too.”
“Leave her alone,” I commanded.
“Can’t.” The princess had no tension or fear in her voice. It was as if she were ordering a pizza and couldn’t decide between pepperoni or sausage. “Not unless I get what I came for.”
“Damarion?”
“Yes, it seems my demons have your little buddies running around like crazy and wouldn’t you know…they aren’t able to help me.”
“Your brother’s here.”
The line went silent and I stood out in the cold realizing that if I were to save Zarmina I’d need a car and hopefully someone to drive it. Nye’s car was in a small parking lot. I went to it and found the door unlocked. In the center console was a set of keys. How hard could driving really be? I’d seen others do it.
Turning the engine over I pressed the gas and the engine revved. I looked at the gear shift and saw I was in P…P…Park. Right, so that means R means Road and D means Drive…N? N? What the heck does N mean? Now? Noon? Never?
The basic skill of driving was lost on me. What was I going to do? How can I do anything? My life was taken the moment I took a breath and was placed in my father’s arms.
Gabriel stood outside the door to the vehicle as I stared through the windshield without focus. The phone had gone dead minutes ago, but I still held it to my ear. Love can wash away sins, clean my soul, and now I felt more soulless than when Pivane had stolen it. Zarmina was going to be killed for a demon we’d used as a pawn. Vincent kept losing consciousness and I didn’t know why, but what did it matter when he had a woman—one he never mentioned. My father had killed not only himself, but those who trusted him most. And Lucifer was on the loose.
I turned to Gabriel and turned off the engine. Opening the door I slid out and down to my knees.
“Where did it all go wrong?” I cried.
“What now, child?” he asked as he leaned against the car behind him. “You are acting as if Kiriana’s misjudgments were your own. She chose to play with fire.”
“I went along with it. I always go along. A good little disciple unable to sway. Now the princess is in our compound holding Zarmina hostage.”
The wind that had been whipping through the parking lot stopped suddenly. It didn’t die down, it stopped all together. Standing up I looked up at a bird overhead that was still, which wouldn’t be odd if it wasn’t frozen in mid-flight.
“You need a moment that I can give you. We cannot allow Zarmina to be hurt, but at this time you need to halt your thought process.”
“But—”
He waved his hand, and I silenced.
“Esther, you were chosen to be a member of the Frozen on the day you were born. Your soul, marked for my collection should your life be ended by your own hand. Creation was granted to your parents when I thought it should not be, but I am not in charge of assigning souls. I can only save a few. Your redemption is one I have prayed for and I do not pray. You have made no errors in my eyes, but that is just the opinion of one servant of God to another.”
“You are far greater—”
Gabriel placed his finger on my lips.
“Hush, child. To him, you and I are equals. Do not tell the others.” He let out a long gust of air and the world moved again. “You must get home to save Zarmina.”
“Why don’t you just do it? You are…it is not your job.”
“No, retrieving your soul—that’s my job. Fighting your battles—not in the least.”
“How do I fight her? The princess…she has powers I can’t fight.”
“She also has weaknesses I think you finally understand.” He placed his hand on my head and I was transported to the middle of the foyer in the compound.
Steadying myself enough to get my bearings I took off for Zarmina’s workshop. When I got through the door I saw her plastered against her chair. Her arms were locked on the chair handles and lacked bindings, but I could see the fear in her eyes. The princess was examining a prototype of a new arrow.
“What makes this one special?” she asked, then noticed I’d arrived. “Ah…your savior or death is here. Again?” She waved the arrow.
“Why don’t you let Esther here test it out?” Zarmina offered and then gasped. I saw her stomach cave in more as if a vice had been given another turn.
“Real answer, please?”
“When plasma touches it the tip expands. Tripling in size.”
“Plasma? That’s in blood, am I not correct?”
“Yes.” Zarmina’s breath caught and she curled her fingers into a fist. “We shoot you with a tiny arrow, and as it passes through your body it expands. If it gets stuck inside, pulling it out will remove all tissue. If it breaks through the other side of the body, you’ll be cut practically in half.”
“You like the whole half thing, don’t you? So many of these weapons slice us in half.”
“It slows you down.” Zarmina smirked.
“A little bit I suppose.”
I joined the conversation. “You know how it is to not feel whole, don’t you? Like a part of you is missing and some days even breathing is hard.”
The princess swallowed hard.
“You said my brother was about. Did he come with you?”
“I have no idea where he is.” Visions of him tripped through my mind. “He may have exploded in a ball of fire, unless that is his method of travel.”
“He tends to have a flair for the dramatic.” The princess examined her long nails.
“And you? What do you have a flair for?” I crossed my arms. “What weapon is in your arsenal that he fears the most?”
“My womb,” she stated plainly. “Unlike him I still have the chance to birth a son. A legitimate one. Worthy in the eyes of all, especially our father. See, the crown goes to the youngest Lucifer when the king passes. Right now my brother holds that place, but if you would release Damarion I can fix that problem.”
“Then what happens? Your brother just acquiesces the throne to you? From our brief encounter I don’t see that happening.”
“So? With Damarion by my side, I can handle anything.” Her confidence and presence was infectious. “I did what you wanted. All of the members of the next Hell’s Mouth to be opened were killed. Once the zero hits there will only be eleven in the world from this day forward.”
“And when the next one closes?”
The princess raised her arm and her fingers made a claw. As her fingers curled in Zarmina began to choke.
“I’m tired of negotiations. I will start with this one, then move through the house and make you watch them all die.”
“Let her go. We need to get you Damarion,” I suggested.
Zarmina sputtered and gasped giant gulps of air. With her hands free she reached for a weapon on the desk, but I waved my hand slightly by my side.
Leading the princess to top of the stairs leading to Damaion, I was soon keying in the code to the first lock, the princess stood resolute by my side.
“There was no need for all this bother. If you Frozen would have simply resurrected him and given him to me I would have been on my way. But no, my dear cousin had to be so…”
“She wanted something. She thought she could get it. You have proved her wrong. Congratulations. You are the stronger member of the family.”
“I am, aren’t I?” LaDressa smiled.
“Yes. I’m sure your father will be proud of you.”
“My father is senile.” Her eyes appeared lost for a moment. “He probably doesn’t even realize my mother has passed.”
“Didn’t you kill her?”
“It seemed only fitting.” The absence of guilt in her voice was chilling. “She killed the previous queen to marry my father.”
“Family and traditions, what could be better? Gabriel has been teaching Kiriana all about the house of Ryeal. Are you not a member too?”
“Yes, I assume so, my mother…she did not…”
“I understand, I loved my mother so much. She never wanted me to know the bad things. Being obstructed must hurt. I was never worthy in my father’s eyes.”
I punched in the second code and flipped on the lights. They flickered to life.
“But then I found Vince and now, my parents’ love seems secondary to his. Then again I don’t have two angels as my parents. That is so special. To be so close to God’s love. His greatest warriors, their blood runs through you.”
“Yes, it does. It is why when Damarion and I mate our children shall sit by our side as we choose which domain we will rule.”
“There is another besides Hell?” I asked.
“I am a child of the family of Ryeal, one of the highest families in all of God’s kingdom. The only choice in my life is to choose who I will rule. You child may be my disciple if I choose it.”
I stayed silent. She was still too alert to attack her. I couldn’t defend myself against her, but I had one chance. The only chance.
“Ah, my favorite daughter of God…please save me from my sins with your unsullied pathway to Heaven…” Damarion jumped up as I placed my hand on the final lock panel. “LaDressa? Is that you, my love, in the flesh?”
“How was she to save you from your sins?”
“It was a joke, my love.”
“I did not enjoy it,” she scolded.
“I apologize.” Damarion cupped her face in his hands. “Have you come to save me?”
“Yes, and you and I shall destroy my brother finally.”
Their eyes were locked, and I knew in this moment I had one chance. A chance brought on by the distraction of love. Her guard was down as my knife pierced her back and a screech tore through the tight hallway. Wings unfurled, causing my whole body to tremble. Damarion came for me. The handle of my claustanima may have held my soul, but the blade buried to the hilt in the princess’ back held her.
* * * *
Detective Vincent DeTello
“Detective DeTello, can you explain why you shot without aiming?” The middle officer at the table asked me. Three were staring me down as the inquest continued.
“Again, I was trying to save my partner. When a second shot went off I knew it wasn’t an accidental discharge from the weapon I’d kicked away.”
“Why did you think that weapon had discharged?” the female officer on the end asked. “How many weapons do you know of that discharge from hitting a wall?”
“None, ma’am, like I said I was focused on my partner. Detective Tucker was bleeding out.”
“So the room wasn’t secure?”
“It appears not.” I shifted in the hard wood chair. “This all happened in a matter of seconds.”
“It takes point two seconds for a bullet to get from the chamber into a human,” my final judge said. He was Commander McHenry, my old boss. “Seconds are important. Your focus needed to be on securing the room, not your partner.”
“If she would have survived, would you say the same thing?”
“You were the only one who went upstairs that survived,” he chastised. “Two officers went up and three body bags came down. One was child-sized.”
“The child filled one of the bags by his action.” I bit my bottom lip and looked at the floor. “He shot, with very little grip strength, he shot and killed my partner. I was next. I heard the second bullet and with one hand covering a gushing wound to Tuck…Detective Tucker’s throat, I shot back. Warning shots. I never thought they would hit anyone.”
“Perhaps neither did the boy. He just wanted you to leave and let his father go.”
“Speculations will get us nowhere,” the female judge said. “Detective DeTello, the raid on the house was good. Your methods were sound, but someone needs to take the fall for the death of this child. Even though his father was a drug dealer and suspected of murder, his mother is the daughter of a councilmen. You will be suspended without pay until further notice.”
My union lawyer stood up to object, but I placed my hand out to stop him. I didn’t want to live in Chicago anymore. I’d been raised there and loved the city like no other, but I needed calm. I needed peace. I needed a town from a postcard. Tuck was gone and I’d killed a kid. Not my first, but my youngest. I thought moving to homicide meant I would help the ones who died, not add to the graveyard. The interview I did on Monday gave me hope for a place where my toughest case would be who stole Jim Bob’s speakers.
“We can appeal,” my lawyer whispered. “You’re not done. You can still be a cop.”
“Save lives, solve mysteries…I’m good for now.”
I left and stood outside the glass door. With a flick I inhaled the sweet taste of tobacco. Nicotine coursed through my blood stream and I saw my city for what it was.
A beeping woke me from my sleep. I turned to see I was in a regular room. On the side I saw a doctor’s coat and when I looked up Dr. Ashworth smiled down at me.
“How did you…”
“I’m consulting. I’ve flushed your system of the toxin I put in by accident.”
“Toxin?”
“Passing out from pain is one thing. Having three times the limit of skullcap is another. I used the wrong measurement when flushing your body of nicotine. I’m titrating the correct amount now. You should be good in a day or two.”
“Will I pass out every time I stub my toe?”
“No, it was hitting a receptor in your brain. Skullcap is a relaxant that worked a little too well.”
“Where’s Esther?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Is she safe?”
“I suppose so.”
I pressed on. “And her soul? I saw it.”
“I heard you more than saw it. You used it as a weapon.”
“Isn’t that its purpose?”
“Dr. Ashworth, the other patients are responding as well,” a nurse said as she entered the room. To me, she said, “You’re awake.”
“Yes. I feel like I slept for a month.”
“Good, now let’s get up and see if that pulled muscle in your hip is gonna give you trouble.”
“Pulled muscle?” I questioned Dr. Ashworth, who gave me a go-with-it-look.
That was a good explanation for what happened. My leg was stiff, but I practically had a new hip. Outside of being used as a piñata, being a member of the Frozen didn’t seem too bad. Healing-wise. Dr. Ashworth bowed out of the room and I headed to the bathroom, using my IV pole for support.
When I got back in the room I was alone. Utterly alone without anything but a TV and phone on the bed. On the wall was a computer. I stood by it and was able to access the internet. Somehow I’d need to get back to Esther, if nothing else to check to make sure she was okay. What came next? I felt like Yappy as thousands of questions came to me. The most important was, was Esther feeling the same ache I did because we weren’t together? May never be together. Kiriana joined the Frozen, why couldn’t I? Was I ready for marriage or could I just hang around and date?
New Life Ascendency. I typed the words in the search engine and thirty pages of results filled the screen. The first few pages were Documentary Channel specials. I wanted something more obscure. Maybe something more than what I’d already studied growing up.
Eight pages in I saw a line that caught my eye. Survivors of the Ascendency Support. Clicking the link brought me to a page with survivor stories. It was a chat room, but a closed one. A blog posted a year ago had a picture that had a familiar landmark, the P.E.O building on Iowa Wesleyan Campus. It was in the background of a woman who stood with her family. The story told of how she’d survived as a teenager and gone on to live a happy life after years of therapy. Digging in the top drawer of the nightstand I found a local phone book. As of the spring she still lived in the area.
For the second time in so many days I removed my own IV and sneaked out. Only this time I made it out the door. Scrubs don’t have the thickness necessary to stop December winds in Iowa. Luckily my home was close enough for me to stave off hypothermia.
Being a cop I didn’t leave my key in the obvious places. No, my dumb ass thought taping the key on the inside of my dryer vent was intelligent. Heat plus tape. Luckily it just fell down in my landscaping…now covered in five inches of snow.
My home seemed foreign to me now. As if something was missing, but everything was where I left it. Including my second set of keys, which I snagged after bundling up and taking a second look around. What was missing? I walked into the living room and saw a vision of Esther bundled up on the couch. She looked up at me and smiled. Violet eyes inviting me to stay and be with her. One step made it all disappear and the blanket on the couch sat alone.
Getting back to the station wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. Jones rolled by and saw me while I was walking. He was exhausted and couldn’t even muster up more than a “need a ride?”
“Where you headed?” he asked after he parked at the station.
“Following up a lead.”
“I thought the guy got away.”
“I hope he thinks that too.”
Taking off I looked in my GPS and found the directions to Bruce’s trailer. The gravel driveway covered in snow wasn’t the easiest thing to maneuver in a four door vehicle, but I made it close enough to the barn. You’d think there would be tracks or some sign of the number of people out and fighting.
“They’re gone,” Bruce called from the top of his steps.
“Gone? It’s only been a few hours since I saw them last.”
“They left two days ago.”
My chest felt caved in on.
“Left? That massive house is just gone?” I pulled open the barn. One vehicle remained. “She’s just gone?”
“I suppose so.”
I walked around the barn, unable to process. I’d never get to say goodbye. She’d abandoned me. The back of the barn still had the shimmering panel that stood out from the rest. Faux wood, mixed with the traditional. Removing my glove, I placed my bare hand where she had once placed hers. My head fell against the back wall and I prayed it would just open. I wanted to walk the halls where she’d been. Find her room and collapse on her bed for one night. Just one. Was that too much to ask for?
“Esther…I didn’t get a chance to tell you…” I turned around and leaned against the door. “I found someone who survived. She has a good life here in Mount Pleasant. You can have a good life here too. I can protect you. I swear I can. Give us a chance.”