Hell's Gate Ch. 02

***Some commented in Chapter One that the seduction happened too fast.

Sorry about that. My thoughts were that because Taint is a demon, and a very powerful one at that, his powers of corruption were strong enough to break down Olivia's barriers rapidly. The point is that she was not truly as chaste as she thought, but only had it suppressed by her Angelic upbringing.

I probably should have made that clearer, but please assume from now on that the seduction period is largely over and that a deeper relationship will now begin to develop.***

Chapter Two: Bloodlust

{Taint's Castle; afternoon}

"My soldiers tell me they found you outside the safety of the City of Angel's," the demon Lord, Taint said as he lounged in his black, stone throne, having just completed the bulk of that day's business, "What were you doing there?"

Olivia looked up at him from where she sat in a smaller chair to his right, "None of your business."

"Tsk tsk, little Angel," Taint shook his head, "Did we not learn our lesson about playing nice this morning?"

He hardened slightly at the memory. She had all but begged for him, a corrupt demon, to take her sweet Angelic innocence. And he had been more than eager to oblige, and wished to return to his chambers now to explore her body for a few more hours. But business had to be conducted, and Olivia needed a break before they could return to his bed. Such inexperience could not be rushed.

"It was my father," Olivia offered suddenly, avoiding Taint's gaze, "He tried to order me to marry someone..." Taint could not control himself and laughed loudly, startling her, "What? You asked," she sounded slightly hurt.

"Such a cliché story, my little Angel," Taint chuckled, "Betrothed to a man she could never love, the sweet princess runs away only to be kidnapped by an evil prince. After her betrothed recues her she realizes what she had been missing and decides to marry him after all. Sickening, really."

"I am happy my life is so amusing to you, demon," Olivia said a little heatedly, "But it is the truth."

"I did not know Angels married," Taint mused, trying to defuse her temper and not undo the amazing progress he had made that morning, "What's the point, if you cannot...you know...fuck? We demons certainly do not marry; it would be just as pointless."

"To start a family," Olivia said, ignoring his crude language. Her tone suggested that the answer was the most obvious thing in the world.

"How do they start families if they are not permitted to..."

"You know nothing of Angels, do you, demon?" Olivia sounded slightly amused.

Admittedly, Taint knew precious little about the species. It was natural for a demon to know much about the sexual habits of other beings, but he had no knowledge on Angelic social customs or structures. Only that they were ruled by a powerful King and guarded by the frightful Archangels. And that they all had a deep seeded hatred of demon kind.

"Very little," Taint nodded, "So why don't you enlighten me?"

Olivia shifted in her chair, smoothing her black skirt before explaining, "Angels are created from the souls of humans who have lived their lives purely. Or as purely as a human can. When two Angels marry, it is to raise one of these souls. The human essence is naïve and must be molded carefully to reach its fullest potential." The answer took Taint aback; he had not been expecting something so very alien to him.

"What a very strange custom," Taint said, "But it was my understanding that when humans die, they are generally full grown already." He was enjoying the conversation, noticing that Olivia was beginning to open up to him.

"Not their souls. They appear as infants to Angels, and that is why they are raised as children."

Taint was genuinely fascinated at the practice. It was a demon's job to corrupt souls while Angels apparently built and raised them up to greater heights. The contrast was startlingly stark and he found himself wondering how Angels and demons got to be so different in the first place.

"My Lord,"

Still musing, Taint turned toward the voice of one of his goblin soldiers standing near the open door of the giant throne room in which he had conducted all that morning's Lordly duties.

"What is it?" he asked, dreading more business.

"Lord Wraith has come to meet with you," the goblin explained, "He awaits just outside."

Rolling his eyes at the interruption, Taint nodded, "Send him in." Despite the gesture, he was happy to see his fellow demon Lord, but at the same time wished to be alone with his Angel for a little longer.

He glanced at Olivia, who was sitting perfectly rigid in her seat, fists gripping her skirt tightly and staring at the door to the throne room. She had seen a number of frightening creatures as Taint conducted his business, and had still not gotten used to them. Demons came in all sizes and shapes, and it was unusual for an Angel to witness such frightening creatures in so vast an array.

"Relax, little Angel," he soothed, laying a hand on her bare shoulder, "Lord Wraith is an old friend and a fellow Gatekeeper."

Despite his words, Olivia did not un-tense as a completely bald demon, only a few inches shorter than Taint's seven feet, strolled easily through the door. The demon Lord wore black pants with chains dangling from its numerous pockets, which clinked together softly as he walked across the wide expanse of marble floor toward Taint's throne. Other than the pants, the demon wore nothing, showing off bronze skin, arms as thick as Olivia's legs and a thickly muscled torso that promised a great strength lie in the demon.

"Lord Taint," he said in a very deep voice, addressing his fellow Lord but staring at Olivia with solid black eyes, "Thank you for receiving me."

"Always welcome, Lord Wraith," Taint said, "What brings you here?"

"Well if I had known you were entertaining such a lovely creature," Wraith smiled at Olivia, "I would have been sooner and for that reason alone. But unfortunately," he cut off his flattery and turned his face to Taint, "There is trouble at my walls."

"There is trouble all along the Wall," Taint shrugged, "What else is new?"

"Not THE Wall, MY wall," Wraith corrected and Taint frowned.

"Your castle?"

"Yes. A large company of ogres has come down from the mountains and surrounded me. I only just got out myself to seek your assistance. I doubt that they will be hard to dispatch, but the position I'm in makes it difficult to go on the offensive and it has taken all my army just to keep them on the other side."

Taint stood quickly and stared straight ahead, thinking furiously. Demons at his walls... Wraith was correct; ogres were notoriously stupid and undisciplined and would be easily defeated. Still, armies had been attacking the Wall for a while now, but never had one been so brash as to attack a Gatekeeper's castle. Mostly they avoided the strongholds, not wishing to chance the wrath of one of the Lords. But if they were changing tactics...

"I will of course call my soldiers to arms," Taint decided out loud and sent the silent order to the goblin officers. Turning to Olivia, he said in a stern voice, "We must go with them and fight."

His Angel was not amused, "Whatever happened to me just fixing the Wall? Now you want me to go fight an army with you?" Her tone was defiant and one she would be punished for later, and it peaked Wraith's curiosity.

"Who exactly IS this woman, Lord Taint?" Wraith asked, eyeing Olivia questionably.

"She is here to fix the wall," Taint explained simply.

Realization dawned on the other demon, "So you did it? Kidnapped an Angel?" he paused, "You're insane."

"Desperate," Taint corrected, and then turned his attention to Olivia, "You will come with me, little Angel; without protest. You will fix the Wall in due time, and then I will release you as promised. But first you must aid in keeping it safe. Surely a warrior such as you is not afraid of some ogres?"

"That is not the point..."

"We must hurry," Wraith insisted.

Nodding, Taint snapped his fingers and his black suit was replaced by light leather armor that covered his body, with silver runes etched into the black surface. A long, thin sword hung at his side. Olivia's own clothing changed at the same time, from the sheer skirt and black strip of cloth covering her breasts to a more substantial leather skirt and shirt, similar to Taint's but without the runes. While her previous outfit was much more fun to admire, this one would keep her safe. "Come, little Angel," he ordered and began walking away.

He felt a slight tug on his body as Olivia remained where she was, but the resistance slackened when she finally began following, unable to resist the pull of the magical fetters he had bound her in.

"Do I at least get a weapon?" Olivia asked from behind Taint as they neared the door to the throne room. Agreeing with her, he snapped his fingers, causing a golden sword to materialize before him.

"That is my sword!" she gasped, and grabbed it from where it floated in the air.

Taint stopped in his tracks and turned to face Olivia, "The bond that holds us together is made from ancient demonic magic," he said with warning in his voice, "It is as unkind as it is powerful. If either of us dies today, the other does too."

"Good thing we are marching off to battle, then," she scoffed, giving the sword a few practice swings.

"Just be careful where you point that," Taint nodded at the sword, "And do not worry, ogres are an easy enemy," and then turned around, leading her and Wraith toward the front gates of his castle.

When they reached the great wooden doors at the front, they creaked open slightly on their own and allowed the party to pass through before slamming shut again. Outside in the hot air of Hell, the trio found themselves on a stone bridge that spanned a moat lined with sharp, gleaming spikes. On the other side of the bridge, a great hoard of goblin soldiers had gathered. Other demonic creatures, greatly outnumbered by the goblins, were also scattered through the ranks. The army had gathered quickly and was eager for the spoils of battle, swords and armor clanking as they shifted impatiently.

Taint cleared his throat loudly and the din of the goblins stopped abruptly, all eyes turned toward him. "Lord Wraith requires our assistance," he called to his army in a booming voice, "Ogres have surrounded his castle and we are to liberate it. We shall meet their army in open combat and destroy them. The spoils will go to the victor." It was not with hopeful encouragement that Taint spoke but with strong assurance. They would win, and that was fact. Besides, all the goblins really wanted were the plunder.

The army remained silent even after Taint finished his short speech. None of the demons would cheer until they had ogre flesh to feed on and stolen swords to replace their own.

Turning to Wraith, Taint nodded and his fellow Gatekeeper clapped his hands together once. A sound not unlike thunder reverberated around the castle walls and a single lightning bolt fell from the dead orange sky above and landed in front of the army, on the opposite end of the bridge.

"Stay close, little Angel," Taint whispered as a swirling black portal opened in midair, growing wider until it was large enough for a column of twenty soldiers could pass through. Olivia watched in fascination as the hoard of goblins and beasts formed ranks quickly and began marching toward the portal.

For such vile creatures, goblins made exceptional soldiers and were Taint's favorite to use for his army. They fought with voracity and only asked for the right to pillage as payment.

The two demon Lords and the Angel stood and watched as the army marched along, disappearing through the portal and into god knew what on the other side. It took nearly half an hour for the thousands of soldiers to make it through, and when they did Wraith and Taint walked across the moat, tugging Olivia along with them.

"There will be chaos on the other side of this portal," Taint warned her just as they were about to cross through, "Try not to get killed." Then, without another warning, he grabbed the Angel's arm and pulled her through the black portal and into true hell.

********************

{City of Angels; twilight}

Gabriel slammed his fist onto the table shouting at the soldier standing in front of him, "What does that mean!?"

"There is no sign of her anywhere, Sir," the soldier said as calmly as possible to the seething hulk of a man in gleaming gold armor, "In or out of the City."

The King of Angels stood from where he was trying to eat his evening meal, "If Olivia is not here as you claim, then where in hell is she?"

The soldier shook his head, "I do not know, Sir."

Breathing deeply, Gabriel contemplated his options. As King, he could force his soldiers to keep looking for his daughter until they found her, call off the search and wait for her to return on her own, or go out looking for her himself.

After a surprisingly short moment's thought, he made up his mind. "Call the soldiers off. I'm going to look for her on my own."

"Sir..." the soldier started to protest, but Gabriel cut him off.

"You said you searched the lands beyond the wall?"

"Yes, Sir."

"No sign of her whatsoever?"

"Not yet...but there are still soldiers looking. I suggest you give them a little more time before calling off the search,"

As soon as the words left the soldier's mouth, the large wooden door to Gabriel's dining room banged open and a young Angel with long brown hair and striking green eyes stumbled in. He was out of breath and his wings were unfurled, meaning he had not paused to put them away before bursting into the room.

"Leo!" Gabriel exclaimed, "What news?"

"Sir," Leo gasped, "Outside...the gate...a struggle...Olivia..."

Without a moment's hesitation, Gabriel strode over to stand before the younger Angel, "Show me," he demanded with fear and anger in his voice. Leo nodded, turning around and leading the King out of the room.

"What did you find?" Gabriel asked as the they strode down a long, slightly curving golden hallway.

"Signs of a fight, Sir," Leo explained, his voice steadier now that he had had a chance to catch his breath.

"Olivia?"

"If I had to guess..."

"Damn..."

They turned down another hallway, which was very short and ended abruptly at an open ledge jutting out over the gleaming streets far below the King's Tower. With a flash and a flutter, giant golden wings sprung from Gabriel's back, crowding the ledge.

"After you," he said to Leo, and the younger Angel leapt into the open air, wings folded into his body as he nosedived toward the streets below.

Gabriel followed, mimicking the maneuver and spreading his great golden wings after plummeting a hundred feet, coming out of the dive and gliding high into the sky. With one steady flap, he took himself above the glittering towers of the City of Angels before leveling out, moving rapidly above the City with Leo close behind.

"Which way?" he called, and looked while Leo pointed to the east. The sun was starting to set, the sky in that direction was tinted a light purple. They would have to hurry to get to their destination before dark.

Banking to the left, Gabriel led the way and it was not long before they were flying over the green fields and hills beyond the City walls. After a few seconds, he conceded the lead to Leo and followed him along a small stream that cut through the hills and valleys far below.

"There," Leo pointed, and Gabriel cursed.

Even from far away, he could make out scorched earth forming a perfect circle in the grass right beside the stream. The area around the circle was kicked up and trampled over, as if by an entire army. Three soldiers waited for them as they made their landing and as soon as his feet touched the ground, Gabriel demanded to be told all that they knew.

"Well this was made by Angel magic," one of the soldiers, a thickly built, bald man, said, gesturing to the circle of burnt grass.

"What about these marks?" Gabriel asked, pointing to what were now unmistakably hundreds of footprints.

"Can't tell for sure," another soldier reported, "But they're smaller than Angel feet. Possibly a Demon..."

"Goblin," Leo interrupted, and addressed the slightly surprised-looking faces. "I recognize them from a hunt I partook in on Earth. Although I've never seen so many in one place," he admitted with a frown.

Gabriel growled deep in his throat. Angel magic and goblin tracks. It did not look good.

"Any other signs beside the tracks?" he asked.

The bald soldier shook his head, "If it was indeed goblins, there likely won't be any; they're known for leaving no trace behind. It's why they're able to sneak around Earth without being spotted."

"Patrol the area until sundown," Gabriel ordered the three soldiers, anxious to leave the area, "Leo, you come with me."

The soldiers saluted and Leo spread his wings, crouching for takeoff. Gabriel followed suit and the two shot into the air, heading toward the City.

When they arrived, Gabriel told Leo to wait for him at the Tower, "I have to talk to Michael," he explained and the younger Angel nodded, flying off toward the giant golden needle of the King's Tower that speared the twilit sky.

Gabriel banked west and flew toward another tower, this one silver and slightly shorter. He landed on a ledge that hung over the City and pulled in his wings.

A squire met him with a low bow, "Your Grace."

"Tell Michael that I have arrived," he told the squire, "I come with urgent news."

The squire straightened and hurried off while Gabriel waited impatiently. The scene in the field filled him with dread and he was anxious to meet with the Archangels and deal with this business as soon as possible. If his daughter had truly been taken by goblins... She had already been gone for a whole night and day and Gabriel shuddered at the thought of what such creatures could have done to her in that amount of time.

"My King," a strong, masculine voice called out and Gabriel watched as an impossibly strong man with flowing black hair that reached past the shoulders of his black, iron armor strode toward him.

"Michael," Gabriel returned the greeting, eyeing the enormous iron hammer that peaked out from behind the Archangel's back.

"What news do you bring, your Grace?" Michael asked, concern flashing across his dark eyes as he came to a halt in front of him. As tall as Gabriel stood, Michael was taller and was one of the few Angels that intimidated the King.

"It is my daughter," Gabriel explained.

"Yes. I heard she had gone missing. Good news I hope?"

"Unfortunately, no," the King growled, "It appears as though she encountered some goblins in the lands beyond the City."

"In the Spirit Dimension?" Michael said incredulously, "Impossible."

"Apparently not."

"Bad news indeed, my King. I shall gather the Archangels at once."

Gabriel held up his hand to stop him, "That will not be necessary, Michael."

"Sir?"

"I will go myself," he said and a fleeting, queer expression crossed Michael's face, almost resembling excitement.

"Alone?"

"No, I will take my soldier, Leo. He and Olivia are close and I trust him."

Michael narrowed his eyes disapprovingly, "Sir, I strongly recommend you not do this. You are needed here in the City, not hunting down goblin hoards across the wastes of Hell."

"It was I who chased Olivia away, and it will be I who brings her back," Gabriel said in a tone that suggested that there would be no persuading him otherwise.

"Very well, Sir," Michael said with a small bow, "But who will run the City while you are gone?"