Capricorn's Midnight Clock: The Zodiac Book 10, page 6
7
UNDERWORLD, LUCIFER'S TOWER
The arena beneath Lucifer's tower was a new realm for me. I didn't know it existed, but then again, as large as His grounds were, it was hardly surprising. Not like I had every location on this eternal plane set in my mind. If I weren't so busy worrying about dying, I might have asked about how much more of His property I'd need to orient myself to if I survived the next hour.
Carved from obsidian as old as time, its black walls gleamed, making the space seem impossibly large. The dim Hellfire flickered across the smooth surfaces, making them look wet.
The air was thick with the weight of expectations of the significant event about to kick off. The acrid scent of heated brimstone did little to soften its sharpness. Every surface reflected the light of the azure flames, creating an otherworldly cathedral of shadow and light.
I entered through the eastern gate. At least, that's what I was told. I was so deep under Lucifer's tower, with no idea where I actually was. Just being led by His staff. Soon to be my staff. Like a lamb.
The thought stopped me in my tracks. This was it. This was the end for one of us. In a matter of one battle, Lucifer would be standing. The previous or the new? That was the question.
I couldn't take confidence from Lucifer's position that I'd be the one still on my feet at the end. No matter how firmly he expressed his belief that it was me the All had chosen, I doubted. How could I not? And the doubts brought me here, in possibly my final hour, dragging ass.
I'd slept an hour, maybe. The rest of my previous night had been filled with the 'what if's' and 'maybes' of the situation I found myself in. If One wanted me as Lucifer, there were easier ways to accomplish that despite the current ruler of the Underworld's thoughts that this was how it had to be. What the All demanded. How could He be sure when He didn't know every detail of the future? How was He convinced that I wasn't a tool being used for a different end? I was about to step out into this arena without complete faith in His judgment. And I didn't like those odds.
But what other choice did I have? Any further delay and the swirling maelstrom of devious chaos being orchestrated by Seraph, Beelzebub, and Michael would pull the Underworld into a dark future. None of us wanted to risk that. And every time I thought about stepping back and allowing someone else to face the challenge, I thought of the faces. Those of my friends and extended family. Those of all the innocents across the demonic realm who would suffer.
I had to stand. There was no alternative.
I looked down one more time at my ceremonial robes. Deep Crimson, trimmed with silver. Though they hung loosely, my movements were free yet stifling. I was a T-shirt and shorts kind of incubus. Formality was not my forte. And these weren't battle clothes. This was something more sacred, more final.
I was aware of the audience. Their fierce attention. Their collective held breath. I tried to push them out of my mind. I needed to focus on this. How many times had Lucifer warned me about being distracted by the myriad of things ready to distract me? This wasn't something I could half-ass. He'd warned me of that, too.
The only sound coming from the audience shrouded in darkness was a respectful murmur.
A hush fell over the crowd when Lucifer emerged from the opposite entrance.
I did a double take, concerned by how diminished He looked in His formal attire. His black robes hung loosely. Even from this distance, I noticed how unsteady He was on His feet. His staff shook with His tremors. A cost of His intentional weakening. A dreadful night of sleep. Days without eating. Handing me the advantage. Lucifer was suffering so the Underworld wouldn't be lost.
I was already at the center of the ring. Lucifer drifted toward me, stopping three steps shy.
"Hello, Ezekial," He said.
"Hey. Ready?"
"I am. And you?"
Around the arena, the murmuring died down to near silence. "I thought I was. And then I found myself thousands of feet underground, fighting for my life for the entertainment of the demonic elite."
Lucifer chuckled conservatively. A few degrees of the little color He held in His cheeks were washed away at the effort. "You'll be a breath of fresh air for the Underworld, Ezekial. And you're only a few hundred feet underground."
"Oh, that makes me feel so much better."
I glanced past him to the ceremonial weapons lining the arena walls. Ancient blades and staffs that had likely belonged to Lucifer from the very beginning. Each looked dangerous, but I doubted any approached the level of danger I held in a short truncheon created in the All.
Baphomet's voice boomed across the arena, formal and grave. "We gather to witness a sacred transfer of authority from Lucifer, Lord of the Underworld, to His successor." His words echoed off and around the obsidian walls. The murmur that had turned to a hush was no more. "This combat is ordained by cosmic law, sanctified by necessity, and witnessed by you, the assembled representatives."
I swallowed. My breath was coming faster. I wasn't a rookie when it came to fighting for my life, but was something different this time.
Only the front row of faces in the gallery was visible. The darkness that had been draped over the assembled demons was thick beyond that single row. I noted those I recognized and sighed with relief at the absence of those I knew who were not in attendance. No Seraph, Beelzebub, or Michael. Sure, they might lurk in the deep shadows—since nearly every inch of the gallery was—but Lucifer had assured me that every precaution had been taken to shield them from knowing about this transfer.
"The rules are ancient and immutable," Baphomet continued. "Combat continues until one participant falls."
I didn't need to know what that meant. That had been made clear from the very beginning.
"No quarter will be asked or given. The victor assumes the full mantle and responsibility of the title of Lucifer."
Baphomet's last line echoed throughout the arena. The weight of it settled on my shoulders. Squeezed my chest. Imagined or not, I could barely breathe.
As Baphomet continued explaining the rules to the gathered assembly, Lucifer and I took a step closer.
I studied His face, saw the deep lines and the black circles of exhaustion. "You know, I used to think you were just cruel. That your apathy knew no bounds. Making me fight Leo solidified that opinion. Putting me on trial and Abandoning me was just the whipped cream on top."
"I made mistakes. Many of them. The history of the Underworld is littered with my misjudgments. The Leo incident… I have to admit I was embarrassed when you had to remind me of it. Such is the price of overstaying my time in this position. I'd like to say I was testing your resolve, but it's more likely that allowed myself to become so jaded as to be apathetic. I was blind, Ezekial."
His admission was a gut punch. Leo had died for nothing. Lucifer could have intervened and didn't. Apathy was a weak excuse at best. I'd already hashed this out with Lucifer, but that didn't ease the pain of Leo's loss, or the mourning of his beloved family members. Part of me even felt for Harvest, who'd been cast out, unguided by his older brother.
Lucifer had been trying to make amends in His own way. Too late for Leo and too little for those who loved him.
"You taught me that leadership without compassion is simply tyranny," He said, meeting my gaze. Unwavering. "I spent millennia rolling through fear and consequence before allowing others to take the lead. By the time I realized they had as much if not more power than me, I was too tired to fight back. My greatest failure. One that you will free me from. The burden erased forevermore."
"I didn't know much of you before the Aries mission. But you have become a teacher to me. I want you to know that."
"Well, I must commend you for putting aside the harm I've caused you and those you care about," Lucifer said, dropping His head. "You could have been bitter. You could have shunned every offer of help. And refused to accept this great responsibility. This burden that's been laid at your feet. I'm proud to have known you, Ezekial."
Baphomet's voice droned on about the cosmic necessity of succession through combat. I didn't hear a word he said. My attention was focused on the tall demon before me. No longer my enemy. No longer the name I cursed every day of my existence. Not even my ruler. Lucifer had become more than an acquaintance, even.
He drew a deep, shaking breath. "The Underworld needs someone who remembers what it feels like to be powerless. Someone who never lost sight of what it means to be a demon."
"Thank you," I said, feeling completely inadequate.
"And someone who knows when mercy matters more than strength." Lucifer took another step closer. The toes of our boots almost touched. He put a hand on my elbow. "Be ready for the loneliness, Ezekial. Of the friends you have now, some will fade away. It happens quicker than you know. Sadly. The title you will own will weigh heavily. Not just on you, but also on many of those close to you at this very moment. It changes everything. Are you ready for that?"
I shook my head imperceptibly, just enough for Him to notice. "No, to be honest. I'm not ready for any of this responsibility."
Lucifer gave me a sad smile. "Good. That means you won't abuse power, but will respect it. That will get you farther than any other skill you can develop."
The scent of sulfur mixed with something else. Incense, maybe. The Hellfire sconces lining the tall wall protecting the gallery didn't fully light the arena floor. Shadows danced all around us.
"What happens to me when I become who you were?"
Lucifer shook His head, still smiling. "Taking the title doesn't make you become me. You become the Lucifer the Underworld needs. If you choose." His hand moved from my elbow to my shoulder. "Remember, the Hellfire isn't about vengeance—"
"And it doesn't care about my opinion," I said with a small smirk.
That made Lucifer smile. "You will do well with this, Ezekial."
Baphomet was winding down his recitation. The formal words about combat protocols and witness obligations were the final step. Soon, there would be no more time for words.
"I won't disappoint you. I'll protect everything you built and heal what I can."
"I know you will. I will leave this plane of existence knowing it's in good hands. You and Cassie will do what her father and I couldn't."
I almost physically stumbled backward at his mention of Cassie. For some reason, I'd fooled myself into thinking her name wouldn't come up. I didn't want to think about her. Not now. Not when I was about to face a demon who might still be the most powerful of our kind. I tried to push the image of her from my mind. I didn't care about ignoring Lucifer's claim that together, Cassie and I could do great things. I just didn't want to see her beautiful face floating in my mind before I entered the fight for the fate of the Underworld.
"Thank you for everything," I said, feeling my throat constricted. "It's been an honor to serve under you."
Lucifer didn't look skeptical or surprised at my comment. A good thing, too. I genuinely meant it.
"The honor was all mine, Ezekial." He took a step back.
Baphomet's voice rose to its ceremonial conclusion. The weight I felt doubled. Even the sconces seemed to burn more quietly, their flames dulling in submission of the moment.
I moved to my position at the eastern end of the arena. Pulling Creed free from its frog, I gave it a small shake to activate it. The steel blades clanged, filling the arena with a metallic promise of violence. The petrified cherry haft vibrated in my hand. Azure flames burst along its blades, crackling with a vengeance.
"He who wields, liberates," One whispered intimately.
I let the double-ax head dip, holding the weapon across my body. "Don't fail me now."
Creed buzzed.
The arena became a tomb. Tension flooded out of the gallery of witnesses. My friends were up there somewhere. I hoped I got to see them shortly. My one comfort was knowing Cassie wasn't here to see what would become of me if I lost or what I would become if I won.
Lucifer nodded. The signal to begin. His voice carried across the arena. "Until we meet in the All, my friend."
I raised Creed, feeling the Hellfire breathe in the sulfur and oxygen mix. The flames roared. And then the first formal battle to claim the title of Lucifer began.
8
UNDERWORLD, LUCIFER'S TOWER
Lucifer attacked. Before I was ready. Granted, I should have already been ready. Physically, I was. Mentally, that was my challenge.
Lucifer's blade, a ceremonial sword that gleamed with the power of the Hellfire, whistled as he cut through the air forty feet away. A slice formed in the air as if it were a physical thing he could cut open. A diagonal line of azure. And it wasn't simply limited to the space in front of Lucifer. Somehow, he'd propelled the cut in my direction. A last-second leap prevented me from doubling the number of Zekes in the Underworld.
I spun, craning my head toward Lucifer. I must have looked shocked to him. Lucifer—well, not Him, just a figure of speech—knew I was. Not that I didn't know he'd fight with all of His power.
Lucifer had said the All required our best. The transfer of the title wouldn't happen if we half-assed this fight. I didn't know how the All would know if we did or didn't—not like it was sitting in the VIP boxes—but Lucifer most definitely believed it if his first foray was any indication of his mindset.
He slashed again. And again. A multidimensional X-shape that closed on me with the speed of a chimera who'd just had a chunk of its ass scorched.
I spun Creed, creating a blinding momentum that manifested into the precious shield.
An example of my first creation with the halberd that seemed to impress Lucifer. "Good. Don't hold back."
The Hellfire swelled within me. As long as I maintained my cool, as long as I remained focused on what was important, remembering that my evolutionary desire to remain alive wasn't the priority of One, then I'd be able to tap into the ancient magic.
The shell expanded outward, upward, and around. It could stop a blizzard of attacks, but it wasn't impenetrable, nor was it permanent. This was a temporary counter to the Lord of the Underworld's attack.
I'd never tested this ability against someone as powerful as Lucifer. Unless I felt him slip, I didn't dare try to draw a band of Hellfire to launch an offensive.
As I scrambled for another way, Lucifer continued His slashing attacks. The air was ripped open, and the diagonal cuts pounded my shell. The roar inside my protective boundary made my head vibrate with concussive waves each time He struck.
The arena didn't afford either of us any defensive cover. It was an open floor of uncaring brimstone. Keeping this distance from Lucifer would only serve Him.
I pushed forward. Slow and steady might win the day. While I did, I concentrated on holding the shell. By the looks of it, Lucifer was preparing something different, seeing that His current attack wasn't working.
Creed rocked in my hand.
"I'm trying to think. Let me concentrate."
At Lucifer's feet, a wave of azure formed. Flames that licked to knee height in an instant before spreading across the arena. From wall to wall, His new spell blocked off any access I had. The flames grew in height until He was obscured.
Without knowing exactly where He was, any attack I formed would be a waste of the Hellfire. Splitting my attention between holding the shield and attacking with a different spell was risky when I couldn't see my target. The fact that I was blind to His location completely handicapped me.
Creed buzzed again. In the past, I would have taken this as a sign of its petulance. But I knew better now. For an entity that was the personality of everything that existed, One was pretty limited in His communication style. Creepy whispers in my ears and vibrating my halberd. I didn't have the mental capacity on my best day to decipher its meaning this time. The only thing that was clear to me was that I was missing something.
Any exploration I might have done into the honestly limited depths of my battle tactics was interrupted when I saw Lucifer's flame wall grow. My immediate thoughts might have been on those in the gallery who'd cower behind the walls to protect themselves from its heat. Might have been. As it was, I was worried about my own skin.
The wall rushed at me with such speed all I could do was hunker inside my Hellfire shell and hope that it was strong enough to withstand the blast.
Inside the barrier, the roar grew to an ominous level, drowning out the cracking of obsidian underneath the heated touch of the flames. The firewall rolled to and beyond me, pushed up and over and around my barrier. Squatting as I was, I couldn't miss the pressure as the wall of fire bombarded my shell. It was as if the weight of the Underworld stood atop my shoulders, determined to see how compact an already small-statured demon like me could be pressed into.
I couldn't stay within the shell. Lucifer was already constructing another wall and flinging it at me. It rolled over the shell. White stress lines formed on my barrier. Another attack or two and I'd be exposed to everything in his arsenal.
As soon as a fresh wave rolled over, I jumped to my feet and lowered Creed's double-ax head at the ground between us. I blasted the brimstone with the thick beam, sending chunks as large as a devil dog spraying in Lucifer's direction. Hardened earth and rock were tossed into the air, falling all around Him.
I couldn't stop. I had Lucifer reacting. That was the key to any battle, wasn't it? To keep your enemy on the defensive so they didn't have time to lash out. To not contemplate it.
I continued blasting away at the floor all around Lucifer. Any direction I thought He might run, it got a full serving of my power. I wasn't sure if Lucifer appreciated the property damage in the name of transferring the title. Who knew if any Overworld insurance policies would find humor in the irony of their act of God clause. I didn't let any of that stop me.
For someone who'd spent the recent past deliberately weakening Himself for this moment, Lucifer was adept at avoiding my attacks through a combination of clever steps aided by creative use of His power.
