Page 51 of The Sinner and the Gunslinger
Lies pour off her tongue like wine. Surely there are others like me in this realm. I glance over my shoulder. Most of the bar patrons are now dead or dying, lying at odd angles with torn throats and glass sticking crudely out of soft flesh. Near the door, three large men—bikers apparently, they’re called—wait for my instructions. They will serve well as vessels for my legion to possess. They watch me with screaming eyes, waiting. It reminds me all too much of my own entrapment not that long ago.
Suddenly, the suit I conjured feels tight on my body... like stone rubbing against the flesh.I’m not there. I’m out.
“You”—I point at a big red-haired chap—“play some music. This party is becoming rather boring.”
The man ambles toward the jukebox and hits a few buttons until something comes on. I close my eyes and listen. While in my cramped, stony prison, I astral traveled to this plane on occasion. It took years to amass enough power through ritualistic sacrifice. But as the years went on, people stopped worshipping me. Possessing a vessel was occasionally possible, but only for short periods. It tired me out, and I often skipped complete centuries before visiting this realm again. Culture has changed so much.
The twang of a guitar blares on the speaker.
“No,” I bark and gesture to my man. “Next one. This is too, I don’t know, stupid.”
Honestly. Some of the things these people are entertained with these days. It boggles the mind. They’ve lost touch with the very essence of life. But they’re also easier to manipulate. So much easier.
We cycle through another three songs before a deep, rumbling male timbre draws me in with a tale of gambling, sex, substances, and death.
“Yes.” I smile. “This one.”
It’s been so long since I had fun. The song reminds me of the last time I had the strength to visit this plane and indulged in violence, hedonism, and lawless revenge. Utterly delicious.
“Asmodeus,” Lilith hisses.
I clench my jaw and face her. “You’re interrupting my fun.”
“I don’t have long.”
“You’re mistaken if you think you can order me around.”
The barmaid’s brows lower. “I care not what you do for revenge. You will wreak havoc enough to destroy millions and herald the next horseman by simply being yourself. Pestilence cocked everything up.”
“I’m not your horseman,” I snarl.
I feel her patience waning from here. But, unlike me, she holds in her dissatisfaction.
“What do you want, Lilith?”
“Merely to warn you.”
“I see.” I’ve heard this song and dance before. She sidled up to the princes of hell, trying to curry favor with each of us, but then fucked Lucifer and told him all our secrets. She didn’t get this far without stepping on a few cloven hooves.
“The Sinners have found a way to stop you,” she says.
“Bah.” I wave my hand. “The only prison capable of holding me is occupied.”
“They are more cunning than Tobit,” she warns. “How will you exact your revenge when you are dead?”
Tobit? My mind scrambles. Oh, yes. Tobit was Sarah’s father. It was he who weaseled his way into Raphael’s grace. He convinced the archangel to work against me.
But how did Lilith know? The more I try to recall that time, the more it evades me. And for some reason, my mind slips further into my past—to when I was an angel. When I had a soul. Like Lucifer, I had been unsatisfied with the Almighty’s treatment of his creations. I wanted to enjoy them... and the more I played with them, the more my soul emptied. Until finally... fog.
“Azzy? Did you hear me? How will you do anything if you’re dead?”
Dead?She plays a dangerous game, trying to manipulate me. The song skips and the ceiling lights flicker from the power of my wrath. I don’t need Lilith’s help. She has a way of always being there when shit turns sour.
I’ll eventually discover what kind of threat these Sinners are on my own.
But imprisonment has made me cautious. It’s taught me to listen.
“If you’re leading me on,” I say, “I will personally come down there and annihilate you myself.”
