The crowd’s reactions to the demon varied—some were frightened, others thought this was part of the convention’s entertainment and clapped in anticipation.

  “This is awesome!” someone called out. “How’d they do that?”

  “Yeah, just great,” Riley said as she joined them. “If anything comes after the crowd, we’ll nail it. We can’t do anything else or that thing will say we cheated.”

  “I’m bettin’ on you guys,” Beck said, sounding as if he believed it. “Teach that bastard a hard lesson, you hear?”

  Riley leaned close to Simon now, touching his arm, deep worry in her eyes. “No demon in Hell is stronger than you. None of them. Never doubt that.”

  He nodded in response, taking courage from her words.

  She smiled over at Katia. “Trust your instincts, Journeyman Breman. And please watch our friend’s back.”

  “I’ll do my best,” the trapper replied, then looked away.

  Simon knew why. He’d caught a glimpse of her phone screen, though she’d tried to hide it from him. Given the trapper’s stunned reaction, he knew that image had been her brother. Hell was already playing with her head, stacking the deck against them.

  If you fight fair, you will lose.

  He wasn’t sure whose voice that had been, but he agreed. Whatever it took, the three boys were going home to their families tonight, their souls intact.

  Simon picked up his trapping bag and walked a short distance away, closer to where the fiend would land. It was at the tenth floor now, still descending at a leisurely pace.

  “I’m going to create the circle now,” he warned. Katia nodded, her eyes on the menace above them.

  Simon touched the carpet, then visualized the sphere of protection, how it encircled them and then flowed upward. Gasps came from those nearby. When he opened his eyes, he saw why—the circle glowed bright white, brighter than ever before, a perfect sphere protecting both him and his companion.

  Azagar landed on the stage with a pronounced thud and immediately batted aside the microphone stand. Since just this morning the fiend’s body had sprouted a thicker layer of armor. He was taller somehow, though the arrogant grin on his face hadn’t changed.

  “Simon the Betrayer!” he bellowed, the rough voice echoing throughout the atrium. The crowd noise continued for a few moments, then ramped down. Cell phones were recording this, and to Simon’s dismay, the video screen began to broadcast their confrontation for all to see. Nothing he could do about that, so he returned his full attention to the Hellspawn.

  “Azagar, minion of Lucifer, spawn of Hell,” he called out. “In the name of the Almighty, the Creator, bring forth the three you hold hostage and release them to me.”

  As if on command the boys appeared on the stage, smoke swirling around them. They were on their knees to the right of the Hellspawn, tear-stained faces pleading with Simon to save them. He could not imagine what horrors they’d witnessed while in Azagar’s possession.

  The crowd swiftly went silent now. Even they knew that this wasn’t some inventive cosplay.

  “God, I hate demons,” Beck said from somewhere behind them.

  Azagar began to laugh, each intake of breath whistling past his sharp teeth. Flaming red eyes narrowed on Simon. “Exorcist! You show all here how weak you are! For I am Azagar, the most powerful demon in Hell!”

  At this point Simon would usually begin the exorcism ritual, but something held him back. If I fight fair, I will lose. Then this time he wouldn’t play by the rules. Maybe he’d live long enough to earn a stern lecture from the Vatican. That would be infinitely better than endless torture in the Pit.

  “You?” Simon chided, loading his voice with derision. “You claim to be the most powerful demon in all of Hell? The cowardly fiend who hides behind three children? You have no notion of power, fiend.”

  “I am the most powerful of all in Hell!” the demon repeated.

  “The most powerful?” he replied, egging him on. “Of all those in Hell? You dare make that boast? You are nothing but a Four, a Mezmer, one of Lucifer’s slaves. Only a puppet who does whatever his master commands.”

  “You dare challenge me, Simon Michael David Adler? I, Azagar, am the most powerful of all in Hell!” the fiend repeated, banging his fist against his breastplate, generating orange sparks with each impact.

  Simon held his breath. Maybe he’d been wrong . . .

  A different voice answered, cold and sharp, like the slick of a blade from a scabbard. “You dare claim to be the most powerful in my kingdom? Then you must prove it, Azagar. Your challenge is accepted!”

  Simon knew that voice, he had heard it during the battle at the cemetery. He grabbed Katia’s hand, causing her to yelp in surprise just as the scene around them wavered, turned gray, then went pitch black. Her hand shook in his and he heard her whimper. When his vision cleared, he knew his rash gamble had worked.

  Gouts of sulfurous flame assaulted the walls of their holy sanctuary, seeking a way in. Beneath the protective circle, as if it were an island suspended in midair, hellfire raged. Demons encircled them, shouting and stomping in triumph as they waved their weapons and gnashed their teeth.

  They were in Hell.

  NINETEEN

  “Simon?” Katia whispered, her eyes wide in terror.

  Before he could speak, another voice cut in. “Simon Michael David Adler. Welcome to my kingdom. I have been anticipating your arrival.”

  The flames parted in front of them. Clad in black armor, with a sword lying across his thighs, Lucifer sat on an ebony throne some thirty feet away. On each side of him was a Geo-Fiend, massive demons with curved horns and flaming eyes. Both were armed with scimitars.

  Lucifer the Warlord.

  One late night, Riley had told him of her time in Hell when she and Ori had been forced to answer the Prince’s summons. How they had stood in front of this very throne while the Fallen angel Sartael was tortured, even as they watched. She’d spoken of how truly terrified she’d been that night.

  Now it’s our turn. Simon looked over at Katia, felt her rising panic as he released her hand.

  “Stay inside this circle. You hear me? You break it, and we’re both dead.” Or worse.

  The trapper’s shivering continued for a few seconds, then she suddenly jerked in a quick breath. That seemed to steady her, and with a glare, she pulled out her steel pipe. “Inside the circle. Got it.” Katia shifted her attention to the distant figure. “That’s . . . Him, isn’t it?”

  “Yes.”

  “Oh my God.”

  The smoke and flames had cleared away to reveal a massive space, one that made the hotel’s atrium seem like a child’s playhouse. The walls flickered with flames which blew outward at random intervals. Steam rose upward, vented somewhere above. There was no ceiling that he could see. When he looked closer, Simon found the faces in the walls that Beck had spoken of, those trapped here until their sins had been purged. Their eyes focused on him, pleaded with him to save them. Begging him to trade places with them.

  Somehow, Simon had always known it would come to this. He took a deep breath, grateful that the stench of raw brimstone couldn’t penetrate their holy shield. His body might be in Hell, but his heart certainly wasn’t.

  “Almighty God, He Who Reigns in Heaven. Protect Us. Guide Us. Help us save these three innocent souls,” Simon murmured. When he made the sign of the cross in this most foul place the demons hissed in anger. Some banged their fists against their breastplates as a fresh wave of brimstone wove around the circle.

  Katia met his eyes, then murmured a prayer of her own. Then she frowned. “Where’s that big assed demon? Shouldn’t he be here too?”

  “That is an excellent question, Katia Allyson Breman,” Lucifer replied. “Where has the mighty Azagar gone, I wonder? The self-proclaimed most powerful in all of Hell.”

  In that instant the fiend appeared. He seemed even bigger here. For a second, Simon thought he saw fear in the Four’s eyes, but it rapidly vanished. Azagar shot a concerned look at the Prince, then turned back to them, arrogance filling his face once again.

  “Welcome to Hell, Simon the Betrayer,” the demon said, as if he was the master of this realm, and not the Fallen who sat nearby. “You are in my realm now. You will die here.”

  This thing has a death wish. Azagar hadn’t bothered to pay obeisance to Lucifer, hadn’t even acknowledged his master. And the “my realm” thing? That put a big bullseye on his back.

  “You sure you want to do this in front of your master?” Simon called out. “Here, in front of all the other Hellspawn?”

  “I am superior to any mortal. I am superior to all demons. I am Azagar.”

  Through all those boasts Lucifer sat motionless like a statue, yet his midnight-blue eyes tracked every move.

  Curiously, the three boys hadn’t arrived with the demon, and Simon knew better than to ask about them. He’d never heard of any other exorcist being brought to Hell like this, unless he’d lost his soul. Simon’s was still his, and he assumed the same of Katia’s. Something else was going on here, something other than the fate of those three young mortals.

  Challenge accepted, Lucifer had said.

  The Chief of the Fallen was ruthless, frequently culling out the strongest of his fiends, the ones that threatened him. Or the ones that were just too arrogant to live. Was that what this was about?

  The Prince’s right eyebrow raised. Of course, he’d heard Simon’s thoughts, they were in his kingdom, after all. Yet Azagar hadn’t.

  Around them Hellspawn shifted uneasily, sensing the increasing tension. There were the ones that every demon trapper knew, and some he’d never seen before. A few were tiny, others the size of a large dog, and some so big they almost dwarfed the Geo-Fiends standing guard over their master. Their appearances varied: Some had leathered skin, others were clothed in flames or were clouds of muddy vapor.

  Lucifer’s servants in all their unholy glory.

  Azagar began to parade back and forth in front of their circle now. “You violated our agreement! You brought a trapper to aid you,” he crowed, pointing at Katia.

  “No, I have honored my word. This trapper wasn’t in our agreement. None of those you excluded are here.” Simon frowned. “How about you, fiend? Is cheating the only way you can win? Are you truly that weak?”

  Katia whistled under her breath. Was he pushing too hard?

  In response, the demon swore in Hellspeak, then puffed up and spat at them. The spittle hit the sacred circle and bounced off. When it struck a nearby fiend, that creature burst into flame, then turned into a pillar of ash.

  “So much for dental hygiene,” Katia said, shaking her head.

  Simon had to fight not to laugh, though he’d heard her voice quaver when she’d said it.

  “I do not need to cheat! I am the most powerful in Hell.”

  Before Simon could reply, Katia called out, “Stronger than the Prince? Because I’m not seeing it. You’re just a puffed up Four. Better armor, but fewer brains.”

  That caused the fiend to shift its gaze to her. “Katia Allyson Bremen.”

  When Azagar said nothing further, Simon knew a warning was being passed: Either side with the fiend, or her brother would suffer.

  Katia’s smirk withered. “Yeah, I know.”

  The look she gave Simon was heartbreaking. Had she given in? Would she break the circle? Wouldn’t he do the same if it had been one of his brothers or sisters?

  With a swear word she turned back toward their tormentor. “No, I don’t sell out other people. You’re outta luck, asshole.”

  “Your brother will die!” Azagar promised.

  She glared at him and then shook her head, tears forming now. “If you’re truly the strongest in this hellhole, you have to win this battle on your own. I will not help you, fiend.”

  “You love Kevin Damian Breman so little?”

  “No, I love him so much.”

  “And yet you would let him die.” With a chilling laugh, Azagar issued a command and a lesser fiend vanished in a puff of black smoke, no doubt sent on a killing mission to Lawrence, Kansas.

  Tears ran openly down Katia’s cheeks now. “I love you, Kevin!” she shouted, as if somehow he could hear her. “I will always love you.”

  Then she began to sob.

  † ~ ‡ ~ †

  “Where’d they go?” Jackson said, staring at where the pair had vanished. Around them, the crowd grew agitated, everyone talking at once.

  “That was Lucifer’s voice,” Beck said. Riley nodded in agreement.

  “They are in Hell now. He summoned them,” Ori said.

  “Why?” Jackson asked, puzzled.

  “Azagar challenged the Prince,” the Fallen replied. “The fiend didn’t realize he was being maneuvered into that . . . mistake. Now he will face off against Simon and the trapper in front of his master.”

  “So, the bastard can’t lose or he’s dead,” Beck said.

  “Correct.”

  “Then why are the mortal boys still here?” Serrah asked, gesturing at the trio. “Why are they not with the fiend?”

  “I have no idea,” Ori admitted, shaking his head.

  “Then let’s move them somewhere else in case the fiend does pull this off. Put them inside a circle so he can’t get to them. There’s too many people out here who could get hurt if Azagar decides to throw a tantrum,” Beck said.

  “If the Four returns, that means Simon is dead,” Riley said, looking at Ori now.

  “If the trapper betrays him—” Ori paused, then frowned as if something had occurred to him. He abruptly disappeared.

  “Please tell me he didn’t go to Hell,” Riley said. “He’ll die there.”

  Serrah concentrated, then shook her head. “He did not. He went somewhere . . . unexpected.”

  When she didn’t explain, Beck gestured at the boys. “Then let’s get these kids tucked away. If we lose Simon and the trapper, I swear to God I will send that demonic bastard back to Hell in pieces.”

  “You’re going to have to stand in line for that honor,” Riley replied.

  † ~ ‡ ~ †

  To Simon, it felt as if all the fiends in the Pit were holding their breath, eager to see how this played out. Azagar was probably demi-lord to a few of them, drawing strength from those who served him. Hell’s alliances shifted frequently, depending on who was at the top of the heap at the moment. Right now, it was the fiend in front of them.

  Though the large wooden cross was still in the bag at his feet, Simon raised his own fire-scorched one, for it had survived the massacre at the Tabernacle. Riley had found it in the rubble and kept it for him until he was ready to accept it once again, the visible symbol of his unbreakable faith in the Light. It was only fitting that he would use it here, in this place of Darkness.

  “I am Simon. Michael. David. Adler,” he said, his voice ricocheting around the massive cavern, each word a weapon of its own. Even Lucifer sat up now. “I am a child of God and follower of the Risen Savior. I am of the Light. You, Azagar, are Hellspawn, defiler of all that is good and sacred.”

  “Oh, wise exorcist, tell me how great you are,” Azagar sneered. The demons around them laughed, pointing and making rude gestures.

  “I am of the Light,” Simon repeated. “By the power that Light, I command you to release the captives.”

  Azagar roared, causing many of the lesser ones to fall to their knees, covering their heads in terror. “They are mine and will remain mine for eternity.” His expression turned sly. “Does she know what you did, exorcist? Does she know you betrayed one of your own? Does she—”

  “Shut up and stop interrupting him!” Katia said. The tears on her cheeks had begun to dry and her anger felt as incandescent as the hell around them.

  Azagar concentrated and with a groan Katya fell to her knees, her steel pipe dropping from her hand, rolling perilously close to the glowing circle. She cradled her head, as if it were exploding from within.

  “Fight him!” Simon called out. “Don’t let him win.”

  “Hurts . . . so much,” she groaned.

  “You can do it,” he urged, touching her shoulder. “Remember who you’re fighting for.”

  Cursing, Katia forced herself back to her feet, her whole body shaking. A thin stream of blood trickled from her nose, and she wiped it away.

  Heaven was right. You are stronger than you believe.

  She snatched the pipe off the ground and glowered at the demon.

  “I am Katia. Allyson. Breman,” she shouted. “I am Kansas born and bred, and damned proud of it! I will not bow to you. I will not bow to anyone, so just fuck off!”

  An amused laugh came from the throne. “Even the trapper has more spine than you, Azagar. Is this how you deal with our enemies, you talk them to death? You claim to be a warrior and yet you cannot break their insignificant magical bubble,” the Prince taunted. “No wonder you are one of the weakest in my realm.”

  The fiend growled as the fires of hate flamed in his goat-slit eyes. “I am Azagar,” he shouted, pounding his chest.

  “So you’ve said. Repeatedly.”

  If Simon defeated this abomination, he was playing Lucifer’s game. If he didn’t, the three boys were lost to Hell. There was no choice: The souls must remain free.

  He took a deep breath. “You demanded that I meet your challenge and we have done so. We have defeated each of the fiends you sent to us today. It is time for you to fall.”

  Another deep breath as he raised his cross. “All Power is in the Hands of God, and I wield that immeasurable force against you, Fiend! You will be broken, and those innocent souls freed from your grasp! In the name of the Almighty, the Creator of the Universe, the Source of all Light, release them to me!”

  Simon spoke in Latin now, his voice strong and resolute though he stood in the very heart of Hell. When Katia’s voice joined with his, reciting the prayer along with him, Lucifer’s face broadened into a cunning smile.