Infernal God

28

Lucifer took my hand as we rose to our feet and walked over to the horses. "I'm not sure, but they will vanish when not needed. Perhaps they live in the Void and can cross over somehow."

"That's so strange."

"The strangest thing for me was that Strife was the only one I could speak with the whole time I was locked in Heaven.” He greeted his horse like a long-lost friend. "Not that he ever said much back, but I enjoyed his company nonetheless." The red horse nuzzled against Lucifer's hand, and I reached out to touch mine more tentatively. Her coat was smooth and clean, and I ran my hand over it, wondering what it would be like to ride her. She had no saddle, but I had memories of riding horses in various past lives, though I was surely out of practice now. I was tempted to climb onto her back, but I was pregnant. Then again, I was also a Horseman now, and somehow I knew I wouldn't fall off this horse that I was bonded to on a spiritual level.

"My horse is named Misery, though I'm not sure how I know that," I said. "We've only met once so far, right after I became Famine. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with her. Did I need to feed her? Brush her? House her?"

"They're Elder Gods themselves, in a way," Lucifer said. "Or maybe they're part of our own essence. I don't really know. Either way, they don't need to eat or sleep, just like we don't, though they might enjoy a good brushing now and then."

"I guess we're bound to them for the rest of time," I said. "If we get a new place to live, we should make sure there's a space for them."

Lucifer patted his horse with a smile. "We should go for a ride sometime. The only thing I enjoyed while in Heaven was riding Strife—he's faster than even I can fly."

"Good idea. Out in the desert sometime maybe?"

Our conversation was interrupted by a scream outside the garden, over by one of the hotel's pools. Lucifer and I were instantly on alert, and my gargoyle guard surrounded us with weapons drawn and their bat-like wings already out. When we rushed toward the sound, we were met by Azazel, her weapons drawn.

"It's Pestilence," she said. "He's here."

17

Hannah

A

ripple of fear went through me, but I kept calm and nodded. I'd prepared for this, and I just had to make sure everything went according to plan. "Sound the alarm and have everyone get into position!"

"What's the plan?" Lucifer asked. We hadn't had time to go over it yet—we'd thought we would have a few weeks before Pestilence returned, at least.

"Just follow my lead." I didn't really have time to explain, not when Pestilence was on his sickly white horse, trotting around the large sparkling blue pool that had dozens of guests in or around it. Now they were either screaming and running, or falling to the ground sick—or worse. A few dead bodies already floated in the pool, and I swallowed hard at the sight of them. Pestilence laughed as he spread more sickness out in a putrid cloud and my hatred for him only increased, which I didn't think was possible.

My gargoyle guards rushed to form a barrier in front of Pestilence, their stone skin protecting them from his deadly plague, and that allowed a few more of the tourists to escape. What we didn't expect was that Pestilence wasn't alone this time—he'd brought a group of imps and shifter allies, and they all radiated disease like some sort of super-spreaders as they chased down other unsuspecting humans.

"He could infect the whole Strip if we don't stop him!" Lucifer said, as he summoned his War sword of hellfire and darkness and wielded it in front of him.

"I need to get Pestilence back into the garden," I said. "You take care of the others."

Without even stopping to question what I had planned, Lucifer altered his trajectory and headed toward the imps and shifters. I trusted him to take care of them, and I walked toward Pestilence slowly, hoping the others were already moving into position at the waterfall, or this plan would fail. The being that had once been Adam turned his attention toward me, a smile spreading over his sickly yellow face, one of the boils on his chin pulsing like it had a heartbeat.

“Eve, my love.” His voice had changed, no longer the sound of my first husband's voice, but now tinged with something far more ancient. His eyes were all white, no pupils at all, and it was hard not to look away when he stared at me with them. "You've changed."

"I wanted to be like you." I took another step forward and let my Famine essence unfurl. My body glowed with a faint green light, and I would bet money that my eyes did too. "Your equal."

He c****d his head. "You released Famine?"

"Yes and I made the sacrifice." It was hard not to gag as I approached him. "Now we can be together. All we have to do is take out War."

He rubbed his hands together. "Yes, and then we can rule this world side by side as gods. That's all I ever wanted." "I know." I forced a smile. "Come, let me show you my horse, Misery. She's in the garden waiting for me. We can talk more there."

Pestilence dismounted his own horse and sent it away with a gesture. The white beast rode away, turning incorporeal and running over the pool before vanishing. Then the rotting corpse-like Horseman walked alongside me, while my gargoyles hung back, though it clearly pained them to do so. I eyed Adam closely, wondering how he had become so far gone. Lucifer had changed too, with the red angry glow always bursting out of his skin, but he hadn't lost himself as much as Adam had—he must have been fighting War's influence even without his memories of me.