Page 17 of When Monsters Fight
Jilyana screamed.
The serpent vanished mid-flight.
“Where did it go?” Asbeel demanded as if we’d have the answers.
A deep masculine voice spoke from behind us. “Visitors. How wonderful.”
We spun to face the speaker—a tall, slender male with dark hooded eyes and a lopsided smile. His clothes were made of shadows that floated around his frame, and his skin was as white as bone.
He looked dead and yet he exuded life. It pulsed around him, hugging his frame lovingly.
Wait…was I seeing an aura? Was that the energy that surrounded him?
Kabiel and his watchers surged forward to flank us. But Jilyana seemed unfazed.
“You have no aura,” she said to the man.
Okay, so what the hellwasI seeing?
“And yours blazes with regret and indecision,” he said to her. “What is it you fight?”
Jilyana’s throat bobbed. “Everyone has inner demons.”
“I do not. But then I suppose that is one of the advantages of being a god.”
“You arenotGod,” Gabriel said. “I would know if you were.”
“Would you?” The creature’s eyes were hidden so deep in their sockets that it was hard to tell who he was looking at, but there was a focused energy about him which was now directed at Gabriel.
Was this God? “Gabriel?”
“This isn’t God,” Gabriel said firmly. “I would feel it if he was.”
The creature snorted, an indelicate sound that held the edge of bitter amusement. “Yes, of course you would; you are, after all, created fromhisbeing. But you should pay more attention to words spoken. I did not claim tobeGod. I claimed to beagod. There are many of us, contrary to whatyourgod may have wanted you to believe. The termgodis a generic one. He simply chose to claim it as his name.” He canted his head to the side. “Which means that you come from one of his worlds. He was never one to share. But this place belongs to us all. We created it together. Our first world. Our first home. After which…Well, I’ve lost count.”
“Whoareyou?” Gabriel demanded.
“I have many names on many worlds,” the god said. “Hades, Anubis, Erebus, and most commonly, Death. But in this world, I am called Thanatos.” He drifted forward, andan icy chill washed over me. “This world belongs to the old gods. We may leave and enter at will or invite a guest to roam here. But it is unlike him to invite guests here.”
Did he realize this place was fractured? No. From the way he was talking, he had no clue the danger we were in. “We’re not guests of anyone, especially not God. We’re here because there are fractures in the fabric of my world, and monsters fromthisworld have come through. We’re on a mission to try and re-establish a balance.”
“Fractures, you say? Escaped…monsters?” His mouth turned down. “There are no monsters here. Only Gehenna-born beings.”
“They’re monsters to my people. Killing them, hunting them.”
“Ah, the cycle of life. Necessary for the survival of any biosphere. But yes…I suppose it might upset the balance of your world.” He blinked sharply. “It seems I have wandered for too long this time. I should have returned sooner to check…” He tipped his head to the side and closed his eyes for several long beats. “Yes. The fringes are fractured, and the first creations are in danger.” His eyes snapped open. “This is unacceptable. He vowed to us that he would never let his creations encroach on our collective haven.”
He? “Do you mean God?”
“Yes. Your god.”
“You’re saying that we’re encroaching?” Anger spawned in my chest. “How many humans, aside from me, do you see traipsing around this world?”
“Humans…so volatile,” he drawled. “When I say creations, I mean worlds. Your world is his creation, and it’s obviously encroaching on Gehenna. Mortals arehisplaythings, and he enjoys designing arenas for them to inhabit.” He shook his head in obvious disgust. “The messeshe’s made, and now this…” He exhaled though his nose. “The Morningstar has been compromised, hasn’t it?”
“How do you know about that?” Gabriel asked.
“I helped forge the damned thing. Helped create the messenger, Shemyaza. The first watcher, which your god then used to create more. Watchers…Creatures who could feed on Lucifer’s energy,noton your god’s. But you are not Shemyaza.” He peered into my soul with his dark eye sockets that reminded me of twin voids. “No, you are not him, and yet…Yet you are.” He shook his head. “If the Morningstar has been compromised, then we are running out of time. Lucifer will need to be made aware and?—”
