Army of Stone: An Urban Fantasy Novel (Fallen Angel Book 2) Read online

  “I never cheat at cards, Bracken. I’m just the world’s greatest card player. I beat Death himself.”

  “Yes, yes, yes. We’ve heard it all before ad nauseum,” Bracken said with a huff and flip of his hand. He stomped over to us. “There is something troubling me, Stone. And as you’re my daughter’s guardian in the Overworld, it concerns you too.”

  I glanced at Aurora. “This sounds heavy.”

  Aurora gave me a puzzled shrug.

  “Indeed it is,” said Bracken. “I know what my daughter is. I know they call her the Dark Bearer.”

  I met Aurora’s stare. Her mouth was now a small O. Yeah, she was the Dark Bearer, the one who by some quirk of nature comes around every few centuries to fulfill a dark prophecy of bringing Hell to Earth. Her royal fae blood mixed with bestial siren blood was unique, meant it gave hellraising rituals that extra kick. Hell needs her to be sacrificed in a special armor for the perma-portal between Earth and Hell to be opened, thus Hell on Earth. We stopped the last guy who tried, my old buddy Samuel. We didn’t want to get Bracken all worked up about what his daughter was, neither did we want to worry him about what was happening on Earth. That was my job.

  “How did you find that out?” I asked him.

  “Word spreads like wildfire, Stone. I’m aware that an incident occurred where my daughter was almost sacrificed at the altar of Satan when you were supposed to be protecting her.”

  “Well, it wasn’t exactly an altar, more the roof of a skyscraper. And besides, I saved her in the end. No biggie.”

  Bracken gave me a stern stare, a low growl emanating from his throat. I gulped.

  “Whatever the case,” Bracken said. “Certain...factions here in the Underworld have also been stirred into action by this information.”

  My brow pinched. “Yeah? Like who?”

  “A group of satanists who go by the name ‘Seventh Disciple’ were planning a coup. They want to kidnap Aurora and take her to the Overworld to complete the ceremony of the Dark Bearer.”

  Aurora gasped. “Really?”

  I faced her. “Did you know about this?”

  She shook her head, her bottle-green eyes wide.

  I faced Bracken. “Satanists in the Underworld? Seriously?”

  “Don’t be so misguided, Stone. We too are infected with Overworld sects and religious systems. There are even groups aligned with the other one.” He flicked his head away.

  “You mean Jehovah,” I said.

  “Yes, Jeh...” He grumbled under his breath.

  I grinned. “Not a fan, are ya, Bracken?”

  “Enough!” Bracken growled. “Yes, there are sects based on Abrahamic religions here too. The difference is, while the light-siders do nothing but pray and sing verse all day, the other side sacrifice and plot in darkness in the name of their master.”

  “Yeah, unfortunately satanists are prone to that kind of thing. So, what happened?”

  “My guards thwarted the plot and arrested the cult leader. A dark elf called Tarron Skalanis.”

  “He in the privy gaol?”

  “Was. He escaped.”

  “What? How? Impossible!”

  “Really? Didn’t you once escape from my prison, fallen angel?”

  “Yeah, but I’m a badass. You can’t include me. For anyone else, escape is nigh on impossible.”

  “It seems we have double agents in our midst.”

  I gave him a knowing nod. “Ah, yes. Another unfortunate side-effect of satanism. Speaking with the forked tongue.”

  Bracken grumbled in agreement. “We think we may have rooted out the infection, but we cannot be sure. We are on red alert.”

  “Wise. I know what it’s like to have a rat in the house. Especially when it’s someone you think you can trust, even if they are an asshole. So where’s Skalanis?”

  “He fled the Underworld and we believe he is in the Overworld plotting a way to fulfill the prophecy of the Dark Bearer. We cannot risk our existence being known in the Overworld with an extensive search.”

  “And so this is where I come in,” I said with a nod.

  “It appears so,” Bracken reluctantly agreed. “You are to apprehend this individual and bring him to me. You will be amply rewarded for your efforts.”

  I nodded. “Okay.” Back to being a bounty hunter. At least it was better than filling in forms. “So, what does this guy look like?”

  Bracken sucked in a breath and raised his hands. He rolled them on the air in neat concentric circles, whipping up magic between them. In the shimmering cloud of magic, an image formed. Facing us was an elf with lighter skin than your average dark elf, meaning he could probably hide better amongst the normies up in the Overworld than his kin could. His receding, dark-chestnut hair was slicked back from his brow. He was grinning, showing off his pearly whites, which were all pointy at the ends like he was some kind of demon. Looked to me like he must’ve filed them to be like that because no elf I’d ever seen had shark teeth. His dark eyes had that crazy psychopath gleam; the one that was kind of a mix between genius and insanity these types of dudes always had. Think of Jack Nicholson in The Shining or Hannibal Lecter. I nodded slow, taking in every inch of that bony face. No doubt I’d be facing him at some point in the future.

  Bracken cut his hands across the air, severing the image. It dissipated into a fine mist.

  I nodded. “Okay, I got it.” I turned to Aurora. “Come on, let’s go start our search.”

  “You’ll do no such thing!” Bracken said. “Aurora will remain here where she is safe.”

  “Be a prisoner in this castle?” Aurora said, crossing her arms over her chest. “No thank you.”

  “It’s for your safety,” said Bracken.

  Aurora put her foot down. “No! I refuse to let people like Tarron Skalanis dictate how I live my life. Besides, Gabe’s got problems of his own and he needs my help.”

  I frowned. “I do?”

  “Yeah. You said you had a contract put out on you.”

  I shrugged. “Yeah, but people wanting to kill me is nothing new. I can handle it.”

  “You saved me before and I owe you,” Aurora said. “We all have to have each other’s backs in this crazy fight.”

  I gave her a smile. “Thanks, kiddo.” I turned to Bracken. “Aurora might be useful in luring Skalanis out of wherever he’s hiding.”

  Bracken’s back straightened. “You mean use my daughter as bait? Never!”

  “Father, Gabe makes a good point. Skalanis will no doubt be hiding deep in the Overworld. If he knows I’m around, he’ll come out of hiding and then Gabe can grab him.”

  Bracken glowered at her. “And what if he grabs you first?”

  I shook my head. “I won’t let that happen.”

  “But it already did happen.”

  “That was my fault,” said Aurora. “I walked away from Gabe. It was stupid of me. I won’t do that again. Gabe can protect me; I know he can. He’s got weapons, the Angel Guild to call on as well.”

  “Pff! Angels!” Bracken scoffed.

  I pointed at him. “Hey! Don’t disrespect the angels, okay?”

  Bracken growled between his clenched teeth.

  “Look, Bracken,” I said. “Chill. She’s with me. What could go wrong? I’ll get this guy for you, then you won’t have to sweat it anymore.”

  He glared at me. “The important thing, fallen angel, is that you take your responsibility for my daughter seriously. If anything happens to the heir to my throne while in your care...”

  I showed him my palms. “Look, that last thing was a one-off. It won’t happen again.”

  He jabbed a finger at me. “It better not, Stone. I’ll make sure you suffer a thousand fold.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, yeah, yeah.”

  I looked at Aurora. Yeah, she had a dad in the Underworld and one in the Overworld like that weird 80s TV show My Two Dads. Which one was I? The asshole surfer dude or the stuffy office douche? I nodded to myself. Asshole surfer dude, with
out doubt.

  Bracken flicked a finger on the air. “Go. And don’t come back until you’ve apprehended Skalanis.”

  I nodded.

  “And Stone.”

  I faced him. “Yeah?”

  “If even a hair on her head is harmed, you’ll wish you had listened to me. That goes for both of you.”

  I met Aurora’s stare. “Well, I can’t argue with that.” I sighed. “Come on,” I said to her. “Let’s go and get some blast slugs for Bam Bam.”

  Chapter 4

  We left Bracken behind to be all broody and sullen in his giant magic palace and went to the market where I got myself a bag of blast slugs. After that, we went back to Chicago. Well, only after Aurora almost took us to Lake Michigan, but eventually she opened up a portal to where we actually wanted to be. Ah, the early days of learning magic were like learning to ride a bike. At least once you got the hang of it, you never forgot.

  To be honest, I had no idea where to start my investigation for Tarron Skalanis. Chicago was a big place. Finding Skalanis wouldn’t be easy. I thought about going to the Guild and making enquiries there, but after what happened earlier, I was put off. I decided to go and ask Old Gnarly if he’d heard anything. Old Gnarly was an ancient, cantankerous oak tree in Lincoln Park. He was the Spirit of the Woods. Nature was well and truly alive in him. He was connected to everything in Nature: the plants, the trees, the animals, the insects, the clouds. You could say he had his branches on the pulse.

  After what happened earlier with the gargoyle, I wasn’t taking any chances, so I used a trick of the light masking spell. Our elf buddy would no doubt be high IQ, and yeah, looking into those crazy-clever eyes on Bracken’s image earlier, I could tell from the gleam of intelligence encapsulated in them he was definitely rocking some brain power. The masking spell might not hold out for him, but I knew gargoyles were as dumb as rocks, so with me appearing as a lanky teenage emo, there was no way he’d be thinking he was about to fulfill his hit on Gabriel Stone.

  We made it to Lincoln Park as the afternoon was dragging. The sun was on its downward arc, accentuating the colors of fall: auburn, gold, brown. We made our way over to Old Gnarly, where I stepped up to his old and weathered trunk.

  I had a little look around to make sure no one was looking. The coast was clear. I removed my masking spell and said, “Hey, Gnarly.”

  There was an abrupt snort of someone being awoken from sleep before two diamond-shaped holes within the myriad of lines on the bark blinked open, revealing light-brown eyeballs beyond. A jagged line beneath them opened up. “I was trying to sleep!” Gnarly grumbled.

  “Sorry, Gnarl,” I said.

  “How many times must I inform you, imbecile? My name is Rupert. Rupert Caruthers Braithwaite.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, I forgot. Sorry, Rupert. I need to ask you something.”

  “If it’s got anything to do with vampires or werebears then I’m not interested. I have no interest in such foul beats.”

  “No, I’m here about an elf.”

  “Elf? You mean one of those creatures with the funny eyes and the pointy ears?”

  “And bluish skin.”

  “Well, I’m sorry. I cannot help you. So, if you please, I need to rest.”

  “Wait a minute, Gnar—Rupert. I want you to ask the others if they’ve seen anything. It’s important. This elf wants to bring harm to my friend here.” I pointed at Aurora.

  Aurora waved. “Hi, Rupert. Remember me?”

  “Indeed I do, young lady. Looks like you’ve learned a few manners since we last spoke. Which is a miracle considering the company you keep.”

  “Thanks, Rupert,” I said. “Now can you please just ask if anyone’s seen anything out of the ordinary recently? At least out of the ordinary for ordinary’s standards.”

  Gnarly grumbled to himself. “Okay.” He closed his eyes for a moment and a strange sensation triggered underfoot. It was like a vibration, a hum. Aurora stared at the ground, lifting one foot up and then the other. Gnarly was sending out messages via his roots. He was connected to every part of Nature still surviving across the city. Those signals would be picked up by other roots like an electrical current. The insects in the ground would feel them, hear them, and answer the call. It was like a phone network across Chicago. A rustling above us made me look up. The gold and auburn leaves still surviving on Gnarly’s branches were moving, the sound almost like words whispering on the air. Within moments, squirrels gathered around and stared up at the leaves as if mesmerized. Birds flew over and sat on Gnarly’s branches. They were listening to the call. Aurora and I stood amongst them as they listened intently to what Old Gnarly was saying. Aurora gazed at them in wonder. Any other time, the creatures would run a mile from two humans, never mind stand next to them fearlessly. But they were captivated.

  Eventually, the ground stopped humming and the creatures snapped out of their daze. They either turned and scurried away or hopped up to Old Gnarly and began chirping and squeaking at him.

  “Hmm,” Old Gnarly said. “Yes. Yes. Understood. Interesting. Thank you.”

  When done, the creatures hopped away back to whatever it was they were doing.

  I raised my eyebrows. “What did they say?”

  “It appears a creature matching your description has been seen here.”

  “In Lincoln Park?”

  “Indeed. It seems he has a particular taste for squirrel flesh.”

  “Ew,” said Aurora.

  “Apparently, he likes to loiter near the lake. These squirrels will take you there.”

  I gazed down to find a few squirrels staring up at me, their noses twitching.

  “Great. So all we have to do is stake this place out.” I turned to Aurora. “Come on, let’s go get coffee and donuts.

  *****

  We followed the squirrels further up the park and took our seats on a park bench. We watched and waited as people came and went. Even though I had masking spells on both of us, I didn’t trust a thing. My mind was forming all kinds of elaborate schemes the nasties infesting this city might have for me. It might not just be gargoyles on my case. It could be ghouls or ghosts or even demons. The more we sat there, the more my mind worked. I looked up at the darkening sky, visible through the semi-naked tree branches. Vampires would be out soon. I hoped it wasn’t a full moon or the super werewolves would be uber-charged and ready to pounce. Man, I had to stop thinking. Just stop thinking, Stone.

  “So, what exactly is the plan here?” Aurora said. She was obviously getting bored sitting around on a park bench getting cold.

  “Criminals almost always return to the scene of the crime.”

  “Crime? Squirrel rustling? You’re a lousy detective, Gabe.”

  “Hey. Columbo’s got nothing on me. I always unravel the mystery.”

  “Yeah, whatever.”

  I blew the air from my lungs. “So how’s the magic learning going?”

  “Same as usual. Slowly. I wanted to learn pyromancy but Mage Carnelia wouldn’t allow it.”

  “I don’t blame her. Pyromancy is no joke, Aurora. You saw that with Beelzebub. You get that wrong and you burn down the kitchen.”

  “I guess so.”

  “One step at a time. You’ve already got some decent powers at your disposal. You can sing like an angel and get from the lounge to the bathroom in one step.”

  She threw a pretend slap my way. “Hey!”

  “Just take it easy. You’ll learn and you’ll need it. Satan and the Princes of Hell won’t stop until they get their own way. And they won’t stop because they’ve got nothing to lose. They have to be tenacious otherwise things will never get better for them. Not that they will. The Big Guy really made sure they’d pay for rebelling against him.”

  “Why did they?”

  “Power. Everyone wants to be top dog. They didn’t like the way He was running things, so they decided to rebel. In some ways, I sympathize. He really does work in mysterious ways, but you just can’t get up
and try and overthrow the most powerful thing in existence and not expect repercussions. But it was a chance they were willing to take and they lost and now we all suffer.”

  “That sucks.”

  “Uh-huh. Besides all that, I don’t know how long I can be here for you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’ve seen how it is. How many things want me dead. How dangerous things are. I could have my light snuffed out at any given moment. If that happens, you’re on your own, kiddo. Which is why you need to hone your powers as much as possible.”

  “I’ll protect you. I won’t just stand by and watch demons take you down.”

  “Trust me, I’ll be taking a few down with me if they do. But what happens when, if, I eventually get my wings back? It’s bye bye to Earth for me. And hello Heaven!”

  “Would you like that?”

  I sighed. “To be with Mia? Of course.”

  “But without us. Me. Lucy-fer.”

  “Hey! What did I tell you about calling her that?”

  “Sorry.”

  I adjusted in my seat. “It has to be, Aurora. I can’t live without her. Can’t live knowing she’s up there alone.” I glanced up to the sky. A star burned bright, like it always did whenever I thought about Mia. One day, I promise. One day.

  “So, I’ll be left all alone with my father. Great.” Aurora rolled her eyes.

  “Hey, I know he can be a bit of a...”

  “Hard-ass?”

  I reluctantly nodded. “Yeah. But I’m pretty sure he loves you. In his own weird way.”

  “But he’s just so uptight. I don’t have much in common with him. He’s lived his whole life in the Underworld and I’ve lived up here. It’s difficult to talk to him. I wish he was more like you.”

  “Like me?”

  “Yeah. Easy-going. Fun to be around. Lucy takes you for granted. She doesn’t know how lucky she is to have a dad like you.”

  “Me? I’m a crummy father.”

  “No, you’re not, Gabe. You’re interesting. You lead an interesting life.”

  “Maybe, but it’s a life she doesn’t know about. Can’t know about.”

  “Why not?”