Sanctified by Mychael Black

Author:Mychael Black [Black, Mychael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy, Vampires
ISBN: 9781595965561
Goodreads: 8133521
Publisher: Changeling Press, LLC
Published: 2010-04-30T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

“How can Ba’al be dethroned?”

Gabriel expected the question, but it didn’t mean he had a good answer. “To be completely honest, I don’t know. Ba’al isn’t the strongest archdemon. There are others.

Abaddon is a place rife with contention, and coups are not impossible.”

Jesse sat down beside Gabriel, hand on Gabriel’s thigh. “Any ideas on who or what is behind it?”

“It’s possible,” Lazarus said, wandering into the room with a dusty book in hand, “that the Maskim are at the center of our problem.”

“The who?”

Gabriel narrowed his gaze at Lazarus as he answered Jesse. “The Maskim -- the Seven Princes of Hell.” He leaned forward and glared at Lazarus when the mage sat down. “Why would the Maskim be here? They have their own domain.”

Lazarus glanced up, and for the briefest moment, Gabriel remembered what he had seen in the elemental mage so long ago. The effect faded quickly, though, when Lazarus spoke. “Why would they not? Abaddon is a rich place, ripe for their purposes -

- whatever those may be. They are Ba’al’s contemporaries, and with seven of them, your archdemon wouldn’t stand a chance.”

Gabriel wanted to dispute the notion entirely, but a part of him grudgingly admitted that Lazarus could be right. The idea chilled him more than any mage ever could. If Ba’al succumbed to the Maskim, all of Abaddon would follow suit soon enough.

“Okay. I’m confused,” Jesse said. “What the fuck is going on? I thought Hell was

‘what a soul made it,’ right? So… how can it have Princes?”

“Easy,” Lazarus piped up before Gabriel could even open his mouth. “In your world, Hell is indeed what a soul makes it. But this is not your world. Abaddon is simply a country in a vast expanse of countries, states, kingdoms. Surely you didn’t expect Abaddon to be the only place once you stepped through Bela’s mirror?”

“Well… yeah.” Jesse sagged a little and leaned against Gabriel’s chair. “Toto, we are so not in Kansas anymore.”

At Lazarus’ blank expression, Gabriel laughed. “Don’t ask.” He ran his fingers through Jesse’s spiky hair. “Don’t worry. Stay close to me and everything should be fine.”

“How do we get to the palace?” Jesse asked, tipping his head back to gaze at Gabriel upside-down.

“I have my ways.”

“Dare I ask?”

“A portal, much like the one before.”

“Another portal?” Jesse groaned.

“It’s the quickest way to travel in Abaddon,” Gabriel said. “This one leads directly to the throne room of the palace.”

“Can’t we just… I don’t know, go a different way? The portal to get here made me queasy.”

“Well, we could,” Lazarus interrupted, “but we’d risk running into…

undesirables.”

“Undesirables?”

The mage’s grin widened. “If Ba’al has been dethroned, then the culprits are surely waiting for resistance. They will be watching every shadow, every doorway. Do you really wish to meet something -- or someone -- strong enough to dethrone an archdemon?”

Jesse shuddered. “Point taken.”

* * *

“Do you think this wise?”

Gabriel glanced at Lazarus. “Do you have any other ideas, mage?”

“Give me some time, and I’m sure I could come up with something.

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