A Soulless Year Three Read online

  I needn’t have worried. When something did show up, it was very visible. Supreme Being help me, even a blind man could have seen it.

  Gorgon hissed in distress and displeasure and returned to my side in a flash. “Is that… a dragon?” I asked him, feeling numb.

  “Looks like it,” he replied. “This is bad news, Delilah. You can’t fight Sunrefni, not here.”

  I couldn’t fight Sunrefni, period. I still remembered the majestic creature, from the time we’d met when we’d first been looking for Cain. She and her hatchling Redrum had amazed me with the intensity of their power.

  Back then, I hadn’t been able to control my skills at all, so presumably, I would do better now in a possible confrontation. But I also couldn’t fool myself. This particular dragon had belonged to a Prince of Hell. Even assuming I could fight her off—which was doubtful—I wouldn’t be able to do it without severe consequences.

  I didn’t have a choice. Sunrefni was coming closer and the humans had spotted her too. “What the fuck is that?” a human asked. “A new model of fighter jet?”

  “No clue, but it’s bad. Battle stations!”

  Alarms started to sound all around the compound. I didn’t know what to do. In theory, I could will the humans to make their escape, but I’d never tried to do anything like that, not consciously at least. Considering the circumstances, it might not be very hard to induce terror in them. But was that a good plan? If they started trampling on each other in an attempt to escape the dragon, they might end up dying without Sunrefni even reaching them. I couldn’t control their response to their fear.

  No, I had only one option, and that was intercepting Sunrefni before she even reached the humans. “Gorgon, it looks like we’re going dragon hunting. Ready?”

  “Not particularly,” he replied, “but it doesn’t matter. We’ll fight her anyway.”

  It was comforting to not have to hear empty pep talks that wouldn’t help me. I was well aware that my chances in this battle weren’t that great and I was fighting at a huge disadvantage. But that was precisely why Gorgon’s support meant so much. The simple knowledge that he was there, by my side, reassured me more than I could ever express.

  With Gorgon now wrapped around my arm, I flew toward my target. The humans didn’t see me, at least not at first. I suspected that would change once I clashed with the dragon.

  With the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Uriel and the others moving in to provide me with reinforcements. Penemue and Armaros weren’t following me, instead choosing to stay next to the facility and keep an eye on the humans. Uriel was the only one who joined me.

  “Any thoughts on how to handle this?” I asked him as he flew up to me.

  Uriel grimaced. “I wish I had some great insight, but I’m afraid I’m going to have to disappoint you, Delilah. When it comes to dragons, the only method we’ve found that works is brute force.”

  I sighed. “Wonderful. Is there anything else I should know? Any vulnerabilities?”

  “Not exactly,” Uriel answered. “Dragons aren’t strictly demonic creatures, so they’re more resilient to divine magic that actual demons. Be careful.”

  This was just getting better and better. But at this point, I wasn’t that surprised. In fact, all things considered, I suspected I might be among the few angels who could handle such a threat. I wondered if Uriel had known this would happen all along and that was why I was here. That would make a lot of sense.

  Well, I’d have to chew him out for being sneaky later, because Sunrefni had already reached us. As soon as she saw me, she roared in anguish and fury. “Liar! Thief! You will burn for stealing the hatchling!”

  I hadn’t expected her to give me the chance to protest, and she didn’t. She opened her snout, directing a massive blast of fire at me. A shield of divine magic bloomed around me, Uriel reacting far faster than I did.

  I wasn’t intimidated, though, nor did I freeze in the face of my powerful opponent. On the contrary, at that moment, I was no longer reminded of Bilbo Baggins. Instead, I had to wonder what the Prince of Greed had thought he was doing when he’d attempted to breed such an uncontrollable beast.

  Someone should have stepped in sooner. Someone should have done some damage control. Clearly, it was time to eliminate the pest.

  “Uriel, let me handle this,” I told my companion. “Gorgon, go with him.”

  My familiar was reluctant to leave me, but obeyed anyway. The dragon let out a sharp, raspy chuckle. “Do you really think you can handle me alone, Delilah St. John? How arrogant of you.”

  She said my name like it was an insult, and it was so different from the time we’d first met. I didn’t care. “That’s my line. Lucifer might indulge your delusions, Sunrefni, but I’m not him. You’ll die today.”

  The dragon wasn’t in the mood for verbal sparring, but I didn’t expect her to be. With another roar, she launched a second fire blast at me, one that was even more powerful than the first. This time, I was ready for it.

  Death’s power came to me when I called it, swallowing up the blaze. Behind me, Uriel hissed in dismay. “Remember the humans, Delilah. Don’t lose yourself.”

  “You’re wasting your breath, archangel,” Sunrefni said. “You’ve signed your own death warrants and you don’t even know it. But that’s fine. I can still stop this creature.”

  She deftly avoided the sphere of my power, prepared for what I’d intended to throw at her. But I was nowhere near done. I was only getting started.

  My magic bloomed around me like a star, no, like a dark vacuum of power, a black hole Sunrefni couldn’t escape. A part of me felt sad that I had to do this, but that part was small. It was very easy to leave it behind in the dust, where it belonged.

  Sunrefni fought well. Her life force was unlike that of a pathetic human, so much stronger, almost alluring. She resisted me with all her might. But in the end, I was more powerful, and she couldn’t defeat me.

  Her massive wings started beating a little more slowly. The fire in her eyes began to diminish. Her paws shook and she was having trouble staying in the air.

  She must have understood what was going on, because she tried to make her escape. She flew back, avoiding the aura of death I emanated.

  It was a good strategy, since even now, she was faster than me. To reach her like this, I’d have to extend my power far beyond what I was comfortable with. I might have tried it under normal circumstances, but this wasn’t just about me. As Uriel had said, I had to be careful to not damage the humans. Even the slightest touch of my power could kill them, and I didn’t need that complication.

  This left me with a single option, a more direct counterattack. I was a long-distance fighter, but that didn’t keep me from lunging forward, straight at Sunrefni.

  I could have sworn the dragon grinned. Her snout twisted into something that resembled a smirk, displaying her sharp, terrifying fangs. “I’ve got you now. You might kill me, but I’ll bring you down with me, and this time, I’ll make sure you stay dead.”

  “Young female!” Gorgon shouted behind me. “Sunrefni is—”

  Whatever Gorgon wanted to tell me was lost in a rush of immense power. This time, the dragon wasn’t opening her snout at all. The fire came from her soul. I couldn’t see it physically. I perceived it through my magic, through the same skill that had allowed me to send the souls of the dead on their way, into the afterlife.

  The sight hypnotized me. It was volatile, but beautiful, alluring, but oh so dangerous. I should have shied away from it, but I didn’t.

  There was power, grief, and love within Sunrefni, more human emotion than a dragon should have ever experienced. I wanted to absorb it, to make it all mine.

  But I had no need for Sunrefni’s feelings, when I could barely handle my own. It was that certainty that helped me brace myself against Sunrefni’s attack.

  Every inch of the dragon blazed with inner heat, from her tail and claws, to the tip of her snout. As I looked at it, I realized this
wasn’t just any kind of flame. It was purifying fire, the type angels used. Why would Sunrefni choose that for her last attack? Surely she must have known that as a divine being, I’d be mostly immune to it. Why would she think she could hurt me through purifying flame?

  My dilemma gave me pause and stirred something inside my heart that I hadn’t been aware of until now. A memory flashed at the back of my mind, and all of a sudden, I could see the dragon in front of me in an entirely different position.

  “Let me go,” she roared, trapped in chains against the hot ground of The Infernal Realm. “I don’t want this. Let me go.”

  “You’re just making things harder for yourself,” I told her. “If you’d only obey Asmodai, he wouldn’t have to take such steps.”

  In response, Sunrefni roared. Even after all this time, she still refused to be tamed. Asmodai had decided to use her to start his own army of dragons. I supported his initiative, but so far, it had been unsuccessful. Sunrefni had killed all the male dragons Asmodai had brought in to breed her.

  In exasperation, he’d asked me to come and handle the problem. I had bigger things to worry about than Asmodai’s pet, but in the big picture, she could be useful, so I decided to give him a hand.

  When Sunrefni tried to bathe me in dragon fire, I just batted the blast away. In The Infernal Realm, nothing could hurt me and her efforts were futile. “Stop struggling. You’re hurting yourself needlessly.”

  She disagreed. “You won’t tame me! You won’t take my freedom for me!”

  Poor deluded creature. I almost felt bad for her. She still didn’t realize that she’d already lost her freedom. Even if Asmodai failed in using her as a broodmare, he’d turn her into a weapon against The Celestial Realm. The Princes of Hell were nothing if not resourceful.

  But I didn’t bother saying that. I still wanted to ensure Sunrefni’s cooperation. “Freedom is an overrated concept. Don’t you want a family? Hatchlings?”

  If Sunrefni had been in her right mind, she’d have probably said ‘no’. Any dragon she birthed would be the slave of The Infernal Realm, just like she was. But I smiled at her, and my subtle powers of manipulation began to tear her stubborn psyche apart.

  It wasn’t that difficult. Sunrefni’s natural instinct was to perpetuate her species and breed. Dragons were like that in general, treasuring their young and their mates. It was likely why Sunrefni resisted Asmodai’s attempts to force her into breeding with a dragon she hadn’t accepted as her match.

  But a hatchling… Yes, that was different. The idea appealed to the mother hidden inside Sunrefni. It took me less than ten minutes to silence Sunrefni’s protests.

  When I was done, I left Sunrefni’s cave. Asmodai was waiting outside and bowed lowly in front of me. “Thank you, Honored Lady. I knew the creature wouldn’t be able to fight you off.”

  With the corner of my eye, I caught sight of three demons ushering another dragon into Sunrefni’s cave. This one was male and far more obedient. I looked forward to the result of today’s experiment.

  With a thoughtful hum, I petted one of Asmodai’s three heads. “Don’t mention it. I assure you, it was my pleasure. Her hatchlings will be a great weapon for me.”

  Asmodai looked up at me and in his eyes, I saw a fierce flare of hostility and lust. “Of course, Honored Lady. I—”

  The roar of a dragon interrupted our conversation. I turned, but could no longer see Sunrefni in the cave. Her voice echoed in my head, a warning and a threat.

  “You’re lying to yourself, Delilah St. John. You’re a monster, a demon. You can’t save The Mortal Realm.”

  The shadows of Hell dissipated and I snapped out of my trance, just in time to get a faceful of divine fire. At the last moment, a tail wrapped itself around my waist, pulling me out of the way.

  I had enough presence of mind to go along with it and shield myself from the power of the blast. But it didn’t help nearly as much as it should have. When Sunrefni’s fire touched me, I burned.

  A scream bubbled in my throat, and if I didn’t let it out, it was only out of stubbornness. That, and because of the tail still holding onto me. I fell from the air, onto the ground, and forced myself to not succumb to the pain, even if my nerve endings were screaming in protest.

  Gorgon was there for me. He’d somehow managed to increase in size. If things had been different, I’d have asked him how he’d done it, but I was too busy trying to figure out where the dragon had gone.

  I’d forgotten something very important. Purifying flames weren’t that easy to summon. Even angels could be utterly consumed by them. A dragon didn’t have a chance to survive them.

  Sunrefni was gone, although the side-effects of her attack were not. Everywhere I looked, there was only ash. More than scorched, the ground was utterly devastated. The air still carried the traces of her sulfurous breath, so strong each individual particle seemed to have diluted.

  It reminded me a little of Chernobyl, even if Sunrefni’s power didn’t carry the same toxicity. Clutching my wounded arm and side, I collapsed to my knees, spent and confused.

  “It’s all right, Delilah,” Uriel said from behind me. “She’s gone. You did well.”

  Had I? Sunrefni hadn’t managed to harm the humans, so in that way, I’d accomplished my mission. But as I sat there, I couldn’t help but wonder if Sunrefni’s goal had even been the nuclear facility. She’d given up on it very quickly.

  A demon, she had called me. Why? It couldn’t possibly be true. Was it all a big mistake, or was there something more going on here?

  I didn’t know, and the uncertainty scared me.

  Comfort

  “This is getting a little repetitive.” As Uriel deposited me on the healing platform, Raphael let out a heavy sigh. “What in The Supreme Being’s name happened now?”

  “Sunrefni,” Uriel explained simply.

  Raphael grimaced and didn’t ask anything else. I was grateful, because I had no idea how to explain the details of the incident. Uriel seemed to believe I’d done my best, but I hadn’t forgotten about my strange vision and I wasn’t so convinced.

  “I hate dragons,” Raphael mumbled as he bent over me. “You’d think that after everything that’s happened, they’d stop providing aid for The Infernal Realm, but apparently, that would be too much to ask for.”

  “This whole affair with the child upset Sunrefni very much,” I said, “and dragons are protective of children. Of course she decided to retaliate.”

  “I suppose that’s true, but it doesn’t make it any less irritating.”

  Raphael’s hands started to glow and under his ministrations, my wounds vanished. I flexed my arm, testing the previously injured limb for lingering pain. My muscles still felt a little tight, but it wasn’t anything serious.

  “Thank you,” I told Raphael. “I’m sorry for being such a pest.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous, Delilah. It’s not your fault. Demons will always blame their own actions on other people, even if they’re the ones responsible for whatever went wrong.”

  That might well be, but I also couldn’t neglect the fact that they had good reasons for acting this way. If Alyssa Michaelis truly had lost her baby, I couldn’t blame her for being infuriated. I might have done something similar if I’d been in her shoes.

  But I wasn’t and I had other things to protect. I was strongly reminded of this when Michael burst into the infirmary, followed by an angel I didn’t know.

  “Delilah, I heard what happened. Are you all right?”

  “I’m fine. You know me. It takes a little more than a dragon to bring me down.”

  Michael wasn’t amused. “This is ridiculous. You shouldn’t have been facing Sunrefni on your own to begin with.”

  “I concur,” the unknown angel said. “That creature has destroyed battalions of angels on her own. We can’t take any chances with her.”

  The words weren’t addressed to me, not really. Instead, the new arrival was talking to Uriel.

  Uriel
didn’t seem surprised. “I know what you mean, Gabriel, but right now, we have no choice but to take an unconventional approach.”

  Michael glowered at him, his wings twitching threateningly. “Oh, and this has nothing to do with your ridiculous dispute with Delilah?”

  I wanted to tell him Uriel and I had set our differences aside, but it would have been naive of me. I had to consider the possibility that Uriel had a secondary agenda, so I waited to see what he would say.

  “It’s true that I had my issues with Delilah, and it would be a lie to claim I’m completely over them,” Uriel replied. “But you must know me well enough by now, Michael, to realize that I wouldn’t endanger The Celestial Realm for my own selfish interests.”

  Michael was silent and I could tell he wasn’t completely convinced. I disagreed. Uriel was many things, but he wasn’t a traitor. “Weren’t the teams decided by Metatron?” I asked. “Maybe you should ask him about his reasoning.”

  The others were surprised by my comment, but they got over it quickly. Maybe they realized they were being unreasonable. Then again, maybe they just decided it was easier to not disagree with me and shelved the argument for a different time.

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” Gabriel said.

  “Raphael, is she well enough to leave the infirmary?” Michael inquired.

  Raphael nodded. “She just needs some rest and she’ll be fine. The dragon fire didn’t hit her too badly. The best thing you can do right now is to stay with her.”

  Michael picked me up in his arms and kissed my temple. “That, I can do.”

  My face heated. I wasn’t ashamed of my relationship with Michael, but he was still my teacher, and it was a little weird.

  Uriel, Gabriel, and Raphael didn’t seem to think so. They just waved us off, already focusing on an entirely different conversation.

  Michael was quiet as he carried me through the corridors of The Halls of Truth. I had so many questions for him, but I decided to follow his example, at least until I reached my room.