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  A group of starved, naked, and weary people emerged from the doorway. Slowly they converged on the bound demons. Most were women, many of them very pregnant. Weary as they were, when they looked on their now helpless captors, anger flared in their eyes. There would be no mercy today for the Ballor lord and his family.

  “These people will be taken care of,” Ryan assured him, indicating the freed humans. “We have a facility upstate. They will be well cared for. And we’ve found that gaining a measure of justice seems to help with recoveries.”

  Ryan patted Geoffrey on the shoulder and then added, “We gain many new recruits from their ranks. Revenge is a strong motivator.”

  Geoffrey scanned the group of slaves, looking for Kelly. Surely, she must be among them. He looked back, following the line as the last of them exited the doorway. She was nowhere to be seen.

  “Get off her, you bastard,” Kelly’s shout reverberated from down a hallway. An explosion followed.

  Geoffrey bolted toward the sound, finding an open doorway with two Templar guards in front of it.

  One of them smiled at Geoffrey as he approached. “She insisted we let her deal with this.”

  Kelly stood, naked and glorious, in the center of the huge bed chamber. Her fists glowed with power and the room crackled with arcane energy.

  Another woman lay on the bed, and a Ballor stood between the women, with a huge hole in one of his wings.

  The Ballor pointed at Kelly. “You’ll pay for that, bitch.”

  “I heartily disagree,” she answered, bringing her fist up and shooting a beam of energy that threw the Ballor across the room, slamming him against the wall with enough force to leave a web of cracks in the plasterboard. The demon slumped to the floor.

  Kelly strode to the bedside to help the woman up. “Are you alright?” she asked, and the woman nodded.

  Then Kelly spotted him. Her face lit up as she ran across the room and threw herself into his arms. One of the Templar women placed a blanket over her shoulders and Geoffrey wrapped her in it.

  “I was so worried,” he admitted. God, she felt so good in his arms. “If anything had happened to you…”

  He let that thought trail off as Kelly’s gaze captured his and he got lost in her eyes.

  Interlude 3

  Nathan stood before the door to his room. Of course, it wasn’t actually a room unless he wished it such. It was simply the space in the cosmic ether allotted to him. He rarely came here, preferring to live in the world of mortals, but as long as he had to wait on his parents, he thought it prudent to check on his own space.

  He could only imagine what he’d find on the other side of the door. The last time he’d been here was during the Renaissance, when he’d truly believed there was hope for reconciliation between his parents. They’d been talking then, and he’d come here to give them some space to work out their differences.

  He still remembered his irritation at finding both Mt. Olympus and Asgaard stored here. He knew, of course, that his parents had played around with the concepts of polytheism, but couldn’t they have at least properly dismantled their projects when they were done with them? Even though he rarely used it, this was still his room. His space.

  It wasn’t that his parents didn’t have enough room in their own areas. The cosmic ether was theoretically infinite. It was just that they sometimes treated his room as their own personal purgatory. Anything they didn’t want to deal with could potentially end up here—their suggestion that he could deal with it if he wanted to, but they were done with it. Considering all that had happened since his last visit, Nathan shuddered at the possibilities.

  As he pushed open the door, he noted the bright glow. Whatever was in there still had great power. Nathan found that odd. Most of his parents’ experiments tended to burn out long before they threw them away.

  Nathan stood and stared for long moments at the shrine before him. It glowed brightly, emanating power from both Gaia and the High Lord. It was a shrine to him, wrapped in a large red bow with a banner reading: Welcome home Nathan—Mom & Dad.

  “Like it?” came his father’s voice from behind.

  Nathan turned and, to his surprise, found his parents standing in the doorway.

  “We knew you’d never ask for it,” his mother said, “but you’re going to need it now, aren’t you? You know what you’re up against?”

  “I think so,” Nathan answered, smiling. It was so odd seeing his parents together and not fighting.

  “It’s our first joint project in ages,” his father added. “Oh, and the new AIDS treatment—”

  Gaia nudged the High Lord with an elbow to the ribs.

  “I mean the AIDS cure,” he corrected. “That’s our second.”

  When they say “beware of false prophets” they are implying that there are in fact true prophets. I say beware of prophets.

  - Ishac of Viticus, 247

  (Also known as Ishac the Prophet)

  Chapter 9

  Held tightly in Geoffrey’s arms, Kelly’s heart beat faster and pounded in her ears. Logically, she knew it was the adrenalin pumping through her system. But there was also an element of passion and need at play.

  Boldly, she put her hands on either side of his head and pulled his lips to hers.

  His eyes widened, but he didn’t resist.

  A thrill coursed through her core as their lips met, and Kelly threw herself into the moment. As her world spun, she reached out for magic she’d never grasped before—a spell she’d only read about in an ancient tome. But it was necessary. Very necessary.

  One moment she and Geoffrey were standing in the demon’s lair and the next they were transported across town right into her bedroom.

  Geoffrey broke the kiss, looking around wide-eyed. “Amazing.”

  She dropped the blanket from around her, baring herself to him. “Make love to me. Please?”

  He pulled her back in for another delicious kiss.

  It felt so good in his arms. She fit like she belonged right there.

  He broke the kiss gasping, “It’s…been a long time.”

  She worked him toward the bed. “I’m sure we can figure it out.”

  * * *

  Kelly woke hours later, feeling a light breeze blowing through the room. Had she left the window open? The scent of lavender, slightly tainted by sulfur, filled the air. A mist billowed up by the bedroom doorway and Nathan Gray appeared.

  “I see the two of you are none the worse for being left alone together,” he said.

  “Nathan…” Kelly began, embarrassed. She pulled the sheets up to her throat and felt Geoffrey rousing beside her.

  “A bit of privacy for the lady, Nathan,” Geoffrey said, sliding out of the bed.

  Nathan stood his ground. “No time for that.” He waved his hands over his head. In a flash, Kelly found herself fully clothed. Geoffrey was also dressed. Nathan gave them a nod.

  “Suffice it to say I had a somewhat productive chat with my mother and father. We have less than a day before the Demon Gate opens and a lot to accomplish before that happens.”

  Before either of them could move, Nathan Gray gestured toward the ceiling and Kelly felt the pulling sensation of a teleportation spell envelop her.

  * * *

  Carved stone tunnels connected with natural caverns. Kelly passed stalagmites and shimmering pools as she followed Nathan Gray through the underground labyrinth. An unearthly glow emanated from the man-god lighting their way.

  Kelly had been here before, though only a few times. She knew that above them was an old house with a pristine white picket fence, blending in seamlessly with the rural community around it. There was nothing to indicate that beneath it stretched a labyrinth of underground catacombs.

  Nathan had transported them directly into the tunnel system, bypassing the house and the guardians that lived there, but they were still far from safe. The maze of tunnels held a myriad of secret chambers and passages. It was a purposely confusing network of tunne
ls. Any wrong turn could lead to death. Despite this design, he’d led Kelly and Geoffrey unerringly toward the center of the web—straight toward the Grand Hall of the Arcanists.

  As she followed him through the twisting tunnels, Kelly understood what Geoffrey had been feeling at the old church. Here she felt the power. Arcanist power pulsed around her, rich and ready to drink in and utilize.

  Her gaze was constantly drawn to Geoffrey who looked uneasy in this, the lair of his enemy. He walked in a crouch, sword at the ready, tense and prepared to strike at a moment’s notice.

  Kelly laid her hand on his arm and caught his eye. He smiled, took a breath, and seemed to relax.

  “Old habits,” he said, dispelling his sword. “You’ve been here before?”

  His eyes hinted at other questions. They’d barely had a moment to collect their thoughts since waking from their sensual night together. There was so much they needed to talk about. Where was this leading?

  “Twice,” she answered. She needed to stay focused. “Both times I needed a guide to find my way around down here.”

  Geoffrey nodded, then placed a hand on Nathan Gray’s shoulder. “Nathan, my old friend, you do have a plan, don’t you?”

  The man-god paused and shrugged. “Well yes, I do, to a certain extent. But I’m not omniscient. Had things gone as I planned during the Renaissance, you would have been out of purgatory three hundred years ago, and things wouldn’t have gotten quite this desperate.”

  Geoffrey’s brow furrowed as if he was recalling something. The Renaissance. According to the reports, it was the one time that the Arcanists and Templars had managed to put aside their differences to work together against the demons. It had actually happened.

  “That was your doing?” Kelly asked.

  Nathan nodded somberly. “You have no idea how hard it is to get Templars and Arcanists working together. Perhaps love was always the answer. In any case, this is a moment three thousand years in the making and the outcome is far from certain. Too many cosmic forces in play.”

  The Grand Hall of the Arcanists was a large underground room carved out of what once was a much smaller natural cavern. Glowing orbs filled the great hall with a soft glow.

  On a raised platform at one end was an ornately carved, high-backed chair. On this chair sat Selma Fairbanks, the High Wizard of the Arcanists. The woman looked to be ancient, yet was known to be sly, shrewd, and still well in control of her faculties. Surrounding the platform were over two dozen Arcanist sorcerers. Some of these Kelly recognized as those who had attacked and destroyed Nathan’s house. The group stood protectively close to their leader, staring at Nathan, Kelly, and Geoffrey as they entered the cavern.

  “Nathan Gray,” the old woman crooned, “how good of you to visit.” She sounded like a kindly old grandmother, but Kelly noted a sinister undertone to her words.

  Nathan strode up to her. “I come to visit your home, to ask why you saw fit to destroy mine.”

  As Kelly scanned the group of sorcerers surrounding her, she realized that she really only knew one of them—her old friend Joyce Jorgens. JJ’s portly figure and flame red hair made her instantly recognizable. Kelly’s old mentor and friend usually had a bright smile on her face, but not now.

  JJ wore a frown as her gaze traveled between Nathan and Selma. Something was very wrong here.

  “Nathan, Nathan, Nathan.” Selma shook her head. “All these years we thought you our friend, yet you conspire with our enemies. Even now you bring a Templar among us. What would you expect us to do?”

  “I find I’m no longer sure of what I can expect from you, however I do have a theory.” His brow furrowed. You’ve been leading the Arcanists for what, eighty-some years? That’s an inordinately long time, even for the most powerful of human sorcerers.”

  “I have been gifted by the Earth Mother with a long, fruitful life,” she returned. “What of it? I have served her well.”

  “Yet, Gaia told me she never gifted you with anything. In fact, she hasn’t been aware of your presence these past decades. She can’t even sense you. How can that be?”

  “Liar!” she shouted, banging her fist on the arm of her chair.

  “One of us is,” Nathan answered. “Shall we see which one of us can stand true in the Light of Truth?”

  He turned to Geoffrey. “If you would, please?”

  “No, traitor. Vile Templar. Stop them,” Selma shouted, raising from her seat.

  But Geoffrey acted quicker. A golden beam of light cast from his fist, cloaked the chamber.

  “Divine light reveals the truth!” Nathan Gray exclaimed.

  Kelly scanned at the upper echelon of her order. All but six were revealed in the light to be Ballor demons. The six that were human backed away from the demons, JJ leading them. As one, they moved to stand beside Nathan.

  “I knew something was wrong when she ordered the attack on you,” JJ said her fists glowing with arcane energy.

  “And I thank you for your timely warning,” Nathan answered.

  The demon that had been Selma Fairbanks only laughed. “Fool! Do you think that this changes anything? I have all but destroyed the Templars. Their few numbers are but a small annoyance to my plans. We have integrated and taken control of the Arcanists. Their power is now mine. There is no force in this world strong enough to stand against me. My army stands ready to cross over tomorrow when the gate opens. You can’t stop that.”

  A chill knot twisted in the pit of Kelly’s stomach.

  “Demon,” Nathan Gray answered back. “Years ago, my father saw your plan, and hid from you an elite force of his Templars, which is at this moment eliminating your highest placed agents, and stealing your resources. The arms cache in Afghanistan is ours. Your highly placed officials in Spain, Argentina, and Uzbekistan are dead. Your Swiss Bank accounts are at this moment being emptied—transferred to a special Templar-owned bank, where they will be used to fund the destruction of your kind for years to come.”

  The demon hissed at Nathan. “A clever lie, godling, I know exactly who you are. Your parents are fools. Obsessed with their own conflict I knew they would pay little heed to me or my plans, and you…you’re powerless. You refuse to even embrace your own godhood. The demons will rise to power now. There will be no more illusion, only dominion. This will be our world.”

  “Did you really believe that you could operate out of my mother’s most sacred shrine without being detected all these years?”

  Demons, working within the Arcanists organization at the highest levels? Nausea threatened to consume Kelly.

  Nathan turned to JJ and put a hand on the woman’s shoulder. “It’s time.”

  JJ began an arcane chant, one Kelly wasn’t familiar with. The other Arcanists joined in, and as the chant grew demons started to pop into the great cavern. Demons of all types—Whargan, Kolthas, Falgolite, Drogga, and Ballor—suddenly appeared to swell the ranks of the demons already in the room.

  “What is this?” The demon that had been Selma Fairbanks seemed genuinely confused. “You bring me reinforcements?” She chuckled.

  Nathan gestured, sweeping his hands wide to indicate the large group of demons. “Your agents from all over this complex. You are no longer in control of the Arcanists.”

  The demon leader took a step forward. There was challenge in her eyes. “We shall see—”

  “In a way,” Nathan cut her off, “I should almost thank you. For the first time in a millennium my parents are actually working together. I’d call that a true miracle.”

  Geoffrey took Kelly’s hand. His grip warm, and reassuring. She wondered how much of this he’d known or suspected.

  The demon leader, pulsing with demonic energy, began to grow. In a matter of seconds, she was well over twenty feet tall—her head almost touching the high ceiling of the cavern. In addition, her talons extended—growing longer, sharper. Spikes appeared on her head and the tips of her expansive wings. A reddish glow surrounded the creature.

  “And I suppo
se, Nathan Gray,” the demon wailed, “you imagined your parents the only gods capable of creating a child for themselves?”

  Nathan stood his ground, pulsing with a power that was a combination of Arcane and holy energy. He grew to match the demon’s stature. An aura of white light surrounded him. His skin turned silvery and fluid, like mercury swirling hypnotically. “No, Shimone, daughter of Shoth, I am well aware of you, though it has taken me almost one hundred years to learn where you’ve been hiding since you crossed over during the Tunguska incident. There are far too few of our kind for me not to have noted your crossing. Which is why I now offer you my friendship and a chance to set things right. Stand with us tomorrow when the gate opens and send your armies back to Ballor. Return yourself and your people to your proper place. Compel your father to send back the human captives you hold on the other side and destroy the Demon Gate, ending this once and for all. Let us end the war our parents started. We needn’t be enemies. We can be friends.”

  “Friends?” Shimon snarled. “What use have I of friends? I am a goddess! Fall down and worship me and I may let you live, to serve me as my personal slave. You can’t stop this. The demons are rising to power. Tomorrow the Demon Gate opens and this world becomes mine, as my father foresaw.”

  “Shimone,” Nathan shook his head. “Don’t make me destroy you. We are alike, you and me. We needn’t be enemies.”

  “You are weak, Nathan Gray. It is well known in the cosmic ether. No one worships you. No one loves you. You have no real power. What good is your friendship?” The last word came out as a sneer from the demon.

  “What I offer you goes beyond mere power,” Nathan said. “Don’t you see that?”

  Shimone only laughed.

  “All I have to offer you, is death. Slay them all and take back the compound!” Shimone commanded, and the demons attacked.