Page 13 of Conquest (The Four Horsemen #1)

12

Conquest lounged on the sofa in the estate as he scrolled through the various posts in the threads from the chatrooms he was reading, satisfied with the direction they were taking. He had meant to add in a few extra conspiracy theories but the mortals were doing his job for him, sowing their own destruction with minimal assistance required.

One name in particular kept popping up. Fireinyourloins. Conquest was positive it was War. He and Raziel had barely been gone a week and War had set himself up and made himself at home on the cesspool the mortals called the Internet. He was pissing off a lot of people, and having a great time, so Conquest left him to it.

“Why do you do it?”

Conquest glanced down to where Raziel was lying on the carpet on his stomach in front of the TV. He was hugging a pillow under his chin and a now-empty bowl of ice-cream had been pushed away. A cooking show was playing on the screen, the sound turned off with subtitles on. He had a thin grey sheet draped over his naked form. Conquest was fine with having the Angel laid out, a feast for the eyes. But Raziel had insisted he wanted to at least be covered to preserve his modesty.

“Do what?”

“Kill people.” Raziel tilted his head to look at Conquest. The sheet slipped slightly down to reveal one shoulder. A single purple blemish, along with a set of teeth marks, marred the perfect skin. Conquest’s gaze lingered on the sight. He was the only one to have ever marked Raziel, and no-one else ever would. It fed something deep inside him, a darkness that only Raziel had ever brought forward. Anyone even tried to touch him and Conquest would leave them out for the crows to eat alive. Once he was done with them, of course.

“That’s too broad a question for me to answer. I kill people for a lot of reasons.”

Raziel sat up, the sheet pooling in his lap. “But why?”

Conquest closed the laptop and slid it onto the coffee table. “We bring balance,” he said simply.

Raziel’s brows furrowed. “I don’t understand. How does murder, sadness, war , how does that bring balance?”

Conquest thought carefully about his answer. “We exist because of sin. God preached that the deadliest parts of the soul had to be contained,” he said eventually. All of the sins. Gluttony, greed, wrath, sloth, envy, pride and especially, lust. “We’re cursed to be the bringers of the apocalypse, the cleansers. When the seven deadly sins spread too far, we are the ones sent in to purge it.”

Raziel watched him intently, his face open as he waited for Conquest to finish.

Conquest looked down for a moment, wondering how much Raziel really wanted to know. The truth was that when Diablo had gone mad and rose to a position of power level with God he had created total balance, but the consequences had been dire. Diablo had realized he could summon the Horseman to cleanse the world, the same as God could. But he called them when the world was too pure, when the seven virtues were too strong. The Four Horsemen had been pulled into a tug of war between the Heavens and the Hells, with no escape.

Conquest met Raziel’s bright eyes again and decided that this much of the truth was already enough. “The sooner we complete our task, the sooner we can go home.” Go home, and be left in peace. Even War got tired of the bloodshed after a few thousand consistent years of it.

“Why do we need the purge?”

“It allows the mortals to begin anew, a fresh start.” Whether it was a fresh start from the sins or the virtues this time, Conquest was unsure, since they still didn’t have an idea of who had summoned them.

“But not all mortals are sinful.”

“No,” Conquest agreed. He stood and made his way over to Raziel. “But it’s not our place to decide that.” Not all that perished in the cleansing were deserving of it, but sometimes the world didn’t work that way, and that was just how it was.

He slid to his knees and wrapped an arm around the nape of Raziel’s neck. “The people I kill need to die. What happens to the mortals after that is not up to us. They could choose peace in the face of death, but they don’t.” The mortals were pawns to be used for a greater purpose, but their choices mattered. They chose to sow their own destruction and make it easier for the forces working against them to do their job. “We are neutral in the truest sense of the word. We’re here to make sure the checks and balances come out correctly.”

Conquest stroked a hand through Raziel’s hair and down his back, trailing his fingers across the soft flesh. He bent and kissed the Angel, deep and leisurely. He tasted sweet, the ultimate forbidden fruit that he enjoyed plundering, frequently. Conquest slowly pulled the sheet from Raziel’s lap without breaking the kiss.

He sighed internally when he felt the power surge of an incoming Immortal.

Raziel whined when he pulled away and tried to follow Conquest’s mouth. Fuck, but he was tempted to ignore the rest of the world and take his sweet time taking the Angel apart, piece by piece.

Spindly legs ran up Conquest’s back and rested on the top of Conquest’s head, his legs dangling. Raziel’s eyes widened and he scrambled backwards, taking the sheet with him to hide his most intimate parts.

“Get off me,” Conquest told Paul.

The spider patted his cheek with one leg and then gracefully leapt off. He stopped in front of Raziel. The Angel seemed to be torn between absolute terror and the urge to run. Paul sat, curling his legs up under him and just stared up at Raziel.

Raziel sent a questioning look to Conquest.

“He wants you to pat him,” Famine said. He had hopped onto the island in the kitchen section of the room and was sitting cross-legged, eating popcorn from a green bowl. He stretched his arm out and curled his fingers. A gust of air circled and carried the TV remote to him. He flicked the TV on and sat it down beside him.

Raziel tentatively moved his hand towards the eagerly waiting spider. Paul’s many eyes closed as Raziel’s fingers made contact. His creepy as fuck mouth opened a little, preening under the stroking. Raziel smiled and moved closer until he was almost sitting right beside Paul, who looked like all his dreams had come true. Paul lifted two legs and rested them on Raziel’s thigh. If a spider could stare adoringly, Conquest would have bet his last reserves of energy that that was exactly what Paul was doing.

Conquest turned his attention to the TV as the words registered.

“It’s been confirmed that all countries in the UN will be involved, as well as a few that are not. One could assume that recent escalations and terrorist activities are the reason behind the emergency summit, but these rumors are yet to be confirmed.”

Famine muted the TV. “Looks like it worked. The summit takes place in three days. Once we target it, I imagine that your job will be finished. The mortals are already on a hair trigger. There’s no reason why this wouldn’t send them over the edge. I have contingency plans in place, if by some miracle it doesn’t.”

Conquest stood and rolled up the sleeve of his suit jacket. Famine was right; one blow would be all he would need to complete what he was here to do. He was so close to being able to return home to their dimension he could almost taste it. The envy he had of his brother’s ability to travel home whenever they wanted was like a physical ache if Conquest thought too hard on it. It was a failsafe that God had created to ensure that they couldn’t refuse the summons and were forced to complete their duty. Once Conquest paved the way for War, he would be able to return home and War would be unable to do so. “Raziel and I will meet you there in three days.”

* * *

Conquest tapped his foot on the floor, once, twice. They were seated in a large, domed, stadium-sized room. Mortals were seated all around them in the dozens of rows with desks, and the spectator seats lined all the way to the far wall. A mortal was at the podium in the front of the room, droning on about peace, about coming together. They were all lies; he knew what they really were, could see the corruption that lay beneath the surface.

Raziel had been right, not all mortals were inherently bad, but Conquest knew that all in this room were complicit in one way or another. And once Famine and War were finished setting up, it would become their tomb.

Raziel was seated beside him, engrossed in reading whatever material they had been supplied with. Thick stacks of papers that would be filled with superfluous shit that didn’t matter. It wasn’t hard to make the world a better place, but it did mean that people had to be not complete pieces of shit. And that would just never happen.

That was where Conquest and his brothers came in.

“The doors have been barricaded,” Famine whispered in Conquest’s mind. “War is almost finished setting the canisters up. It should flood the room in a matter of seconds once we flick the switch.”

The gas Famine had procured for them would kill everyone in mere minutes. Conquest would ensure no-one escaped and, if by some miracle anyone survived, he would give them a swift death. There was no need for suffering here.

Raziel, curled on the chair with his knees bent and his arms cradling them and his chin resting on top, bit his bottom lip. His bright blue eyes were earnest when he looked up. “Is this necessary?”

“They will feel no pain.”

Raziel shook his head lightly. “That isn’t what I mean.”

They had a mere second’s warning as the ceiling began to crack. It moved swiftly from the center to the edges. Chunks of the large panels began to rain down on them, crushing and maiming those in its path. Mortals screamed as panic set in.

Conquest moved fast. He hoisted Raziel over his shoulder as he dodged the debris.

He sent a blast of energy through a wall and used the hole it created to get out of the building, barely making it before the entire thing collapsed on itself.

The screams and cries for help from the mortals could still be heard from outside the rubble. Famine and War came running from different directions, both in their full Horsemen armor.

“What the fuck was that?” War said.

“We need to finish the job, regardless.” Famine pressed the palm of his hand to his scale necklace. The rocks and debris around him began to shake, pulling slowly away from the earth below. Conquest tightened his grip on Raziel’s upper thigh as he took a step back. Distance was always encouraged when Famine brought his power forth. When the dead rose, it was best to be out of their path.

The rocks and debris dropped abruptly back down when the appearance of a half dozen Angels, along with Archangel Raphael and Archangel Uriel in the sky had them all turning. The entourage slowly drifted to the ground, their large wings keeping them steady as they descended.

“Way to crash the party. The fuck are you assholes doing here?” War growled.

Conquest sat Raziel down behind him. His questioning gaze was met with a shaky nod from his Angel.

“Mind your manners,” Uriel said.

“I don’t have any, didn’t you know?” War summoned his blazing sword and rotated it once, in the palm of his hand. The smell of wood smoke thickened the air around him.

The sirens of the ambulances and police cars that were getting closer cut off as they hit the Heavenly barrier that the Archangels must have erected around the building. They paused half way through it, frozen in time. No help would be coming for the mortals that lay dying.

“For Immortals in charge of protecting mortal life, I believe you missed your mark here,” Famine said. “The manner of these deaths are on you.”

“The few for the many. Their sacrifices will guide the way to salvation,” Uriel said. “If we were to allow you to roam free, the cost of human life would be much higher.”

“Now, that is just plain rude,” War said. “Do I come to your house and tell you how to run things?” He placed the tip of his sword into the gravel below him. “If we’re here, it means human life isn’t worth saving anymore.”

“Only if we summoned you. And we did not.” Uriel waved his hand, palm down, in an arc in front of him. The ground iced over with a loud crack. He lifted his hand and deadly spikes grew upwards from the ice. He curled his fingers into his palms and the spikes curled angrily.

Conquest was still unsure who to believe at that point. Neither side were owning up to it, but only God or Diablo had the power to summon the Four Horsemen, so one of them was lying. Diablo was a habitual liar, but Conquest didn’t trust the Heavens either.

“What do you want?” Conquest asked.

“I want my bow, and we want our Angel,” Uriel said.

“You keep asking that question like you think I’m going to give you a different answer,” Conquest said. “I’ll burn your bow and splinter it into a thousand pieces before I willingly give it back. You want it? Come and fucking take it.” He summoned his glaive and slammed it into the ground beside War’s flaming blade. “You want my Angel? I dare you.”

“Now that we’ve sorted that out,” War said cheerfully. “You can fuck right off.”

“Give us back our property, and we’ll leave,” Raphael said. His wings flared red, the veins of lava running through them lighting from within.

“Property?” Raziel whispered.

Famine placed a hand on the Angel’s arm when he went to move. “Stay behind Conquest,” he said quietly. “We will not let them have you.”

War threw a ball of flame at Uriel’s ice sculpture, melting it instantly. A muscle in Uriel’s jaw ticked as his eyes narrowed to slits.

“I’d love to instruct you on all the different meanings that ‘fuck right off’ has,” War said, “but instead, how about I just show you?” He lifted his hands, his sword held high. The flames from the sword travelled to the hilt, and then down his arm until his entire body was consumed by it. “Now, who’s first?”

“Spare me your theatrics,” Uriel sneered. “Your flaming parlor tricks are as useless as you are.”

“Our first volunteer,” War said. He levelled his sword, pointing the tip towards the Archangel. “You and me.”

Uriel spread his wings out, icicles forming and a menacing smile gracing his mouth. “Perfect.” He kicked off and headed into the sky.

War cursed, before he pushed his fire against the ground and used it to speed upwards after the Archangel. A circle of ash was left in his wake.

Conquest touched a finger to his crown and created a protective barrier around Raziel. “You need to find cover,” he told the Angel. “Do not come out until I find you, do you understand?”

“But I can-”

“No,” Conquest said. “Your Gift is too sporadic and of no use against Immortals. Go, now.”

Famine pulled his double-sided blade from the strapping on his back. He held the grip with both hands and rested them on his stomach. “If you want to surrender now, no-one will blame you.”

“And why would we do that?” Raphael said. He opened his hand and a Katana, made of pure igneous rock, formed. The lava threaded throughout lit the sword up. Raphael’s Gift would ensure it was unbreakable, and that every swing that hit its target would be agonizing.

“The fact that Angels are a bunch of cowards comes to mind,” Conquest said. Energy flowed over him as he switched his suit for his set of armor. The protections weaved into the suit wouldn’t be enough for this Archangel. “And why they follow weak leaders is beyond me. You can’t even keep your own safe.”

Raphael let out a yell and surged forward, aiming for Conquest. Conquest deflected the first attack and had to roll to avoid the second. He glanced beside him but Famine was gone, leading the six lower Angels away. The Angels would think that they were scaring Famine, that they were chasing him into a corner. They would realise their mistake when it was far too late.

Sparks hissed as Conquest’s glaive met the edge of Raphael’s Katana. Raphael leaned in, even as his body strained to push against Conquest’s strength. “We’re taking back what’s ours,” he hissed.

“You had your chance. Uriel didn’t want him, and now he belongs to me.” Conquest would kill anyone who wanted to contest that. If the Heavens wanted to start a war over it? The Horsemen were ready for it.

Conquest wrapped a string of energy around Raphael’s ankles and pulled, taking him to the ground. He swung his glaive, the blade headed straight for Raphael’s head. Unless another Archangel gathered the pieces, he would be out of the fight. If they waited too long, he would die.

Raphael rolled to his feet. “You’re willing to fight the entire Heavens over a mere Angel, Con?”

“I think the better question is why you all want him so badly all of a sudden. I handed him to Uriel on a silver platter and he couldn’t have cared less. Now suddenly he’s a hot commodity? I’m not buying it.”

“This conflict isn’t your fight,” Raphael said.

“That’s where you’re wrong. You’ll have to kill me, Raph, because it’s the only way you’re ever getting your hands on him again.”

“Well, how can I refuse an offer like that?”

Raphael extended his wings and hot lava and chunks of magma spat at Conquest. He evaded them, swinging some pieces of hard rock away with his glaive, as he ran towards the Archangel. He swung his weapon in an arc, using his energy to rip into Raphael’s wings at the same time.

Raphael twisted away, the wounds healing quickly. Conquest blocked the punch aimed at his head and he shoved his shoulder forward, unbalancing the Archangel.

A blast of red hit Conquest’s glaive, flinging it out of reach. Conquest used his energy to punch a hole in the wing closest to him, leaving a perfect circle, seared at the edges.

“ Fuck.”

Ah, brutalizing Archangel’s wings always warmed Conquest’s heart. He kicked Raphael in the chest, causing him to stumble back two steps. He summoned a sword made of pure energy this time and aimed it at Raphael. It hit its target dead on, slicing straight through his chest.

What would have killed anything else didn’t even make Raphael pause. The Archangel marched forward, the hole healing inch by inch as he moved.

Conquest couldn’t remember Raphael healing so goddamn quickly before.

“Had enough, Con?”

“Now, now, there’s no need for that,” Conquest said blithely. The blast of power that came from Raphael was so unexpected that Conquest didn’t have a chance to brace against it. He went flying backwards, hitting the ground several feet away.

It took Conquest a moment to gather his bearings. When had Raphael learned how to do that? Between the strength of the blast and his enhanced healing, if Conquest didn’t know better, he would say the Heavens were getting stronger. But they couldn’t be, it wasn’t possible . And if by some strange miracle, it were, if the Hells weren’t advancing with them then it would unbalance everything .

The moment he was on his feet Raphael came at him again, hard and fast. Conquest was sure that if he hadn’t been enhancing his glaive, and he hadn’t been wearing both his armor and his metal bracelets, Raphael would have sliced him to ribbons already.

Conquest sidestepped a kick to the head, got the fuck out of the way of that red-hot wing and kicked in the side of Raphael’s knee. When it cracked and twisted, Conquest used the momentum to break the Archangel's hip. He lifted his glaive, readying it for the final blow.

A giant icicle barreled down from the sky and Conquest jumped backwards just in time to stop himself being skewered. It shattered into a thousand pieces between Conquest and Raphael. A single shard sliced Conquest’s upper cheekbone. Uriel landed beside Raphael, the concrete cracking below him.

War was seconds behind, landing in a wave of heat. “I didn’t say you could leave!”

“I’m done playing games,” Uriel said dismissively.

“Fuck that, I wasn’t finished.”

Uriel’s lip curled in disgust as the severed head of an Angel was thrown between them.

“Take your dead and leave,” Famine said, stepping up beside Conquest.

Raphael attacked, his wings lighting up. Uriel threw shards of ice but War melted them with well-timed whips of flame.

Famine lifted a hand and, with a hiss of his Power, Raphael’s sword was caught in his grip. He closed his hand and the igneous sword crumbled. Famine’s mouth gaped open impossibly wide and the noise that erupted from him had everyone in the vicinity cringing. What was left of the walls of the building began to shake, pieces of the plaster collapsing and crashing to the floor. Millions of translucent animals came crawling out of every crack, every mound of dirt. Insects of all varying sizes - spiders, wasps, beetles, centipedes, hornets and mantises - as well as larger creatures ranging from lions to hyenas to monsters that were not of this dimension. They descended upon the two Archangels, like a ghostly plague across the landscape.

Uriel stepped back, eyes narrowed. “This isn’t over.”

“I’d be disappointed if it was,” War shot back. “Come on back when you’re ready to play in the big leagues.”

Uriel threw a dagger, made of pure ice, at War. It landed between his feet.

The Archangels were in the fog and gone moments later.

Famine’s features returned to normal and the ghostly creatures turned to mist and then were gone as well. He let out a heavy breath and wobbled on his feet. War placed a shoulder under him, an arm around his waist to support him.

Now that the immediate danger was gone, the sounds of crying, pleading and yells for help resurfaced. Conquest wasn’t afraid to kill, enjoyed it even. But he was not a fan of needless cruelty. These mortals had needed to die, but the Horsemen had planned a quick death for them, a merciful one. The Archangels had taken that and turned it into something cruel.

“We need to finish what we came here for,” he said. They weren’t all dead yet and they had to make sure. If even one mortal survived, it would lessen the impact they had intended. “Raziel, where are you?”

Raziel’s head poked up from his hiding spot. Conquest scowled when he realized the energy bubble he had surrounded Raziel with was gone. He hadn’t released it, how was it gone? Raziel rushed to Conquest’s side and buried his face in Conquest’s stomach.

“What happened to my shield?”

“It…it melted?”

That was worrying. It was something Conquest would need to keep in mind if they were ever in a similar situation. If he couldn’t rely on his shield to keep the Angel safe he would need to think of something else. Raziel had strength to defend himself, but he lacked training and control. If his Gift had manifested in the Heavens they would have trained him. Instead they had stuck him in the corner like a naughty child, simply because he hadn’t presented the way they thought he should have.

Conquest wondered what they would have done had Raziel’s Gift come to fruition among the clouds. It wasn’t an Angelic Gift. Would they have ostracized him further?

“Just give me a minute,” Famine said. “Then we can start.”

“I will welcome them,” a quiet voice said behind them.

Raziel squeaked and burrowed further into Conquest.

“Careful,” Conquest murmured. His armor was covered in sharp edges and pointed tips that could harm Raziel. If he was going to make the Angel bleed, he would do it in a way that was pleasurable for them both.

Conquest inclined his head in a show of respect as Death walked between them.

Death’s large cloak fluttered around him, hovering above the ground, despite the windless air. The dark within his hood hid his features, the black fabric falling heavy and low over his head.

As he entered the remains of the building the blocks and debris lifted and made way for him, like the red sea parted for Moses. Tendrils of black leaked from the confines of his cloak and covered each mortal as he passed them. Those that were alive, writhing in agony, breathed sighs of relief and went still.

Famine moaned painfully, leaning heavier onto War. The souls of the dead circled him, whispering to him in a tongue only Famine could understand. He slowly consumed them, taking them within himself. It was a burden he was never supposed to bear, and one he had lived with for far too long.

Death returned to them once all the mortals were taken care of. “Did the Archangels mention what their purpose here was?” he asked, his voice low, grave, and with a touch of menace.

Conquest understood; they were all angry about the turn this day had taken. He might have been less so if they had gained understanding, but the Archangels were keeping whatever it was they were doing close to their chest.

“They came for the Angel,” Famine said weakly. “He’s the key to whatever they’re doing, I’m sure of it.”

Raziel’s eyes widened, even as he shook his head. “No. No, they said I’m worthless. I’m…that can’t be right!”

“Keep him close to you, keep him safe,” Death told Conquest. “Come, we must leave.” He waved a hand and the Heavenly barrier fell. The sudden burst of sirens was deafening as time returned to normal.

* * *

When they came through the fog onto the estate, Death was no longer with them. It wasn’t surprising; the fourth Horseman was often lost in his own head and came and went as he pleased. If they had need of him, he would come. Sometimes they didn’t need to ask; he just knew. What was surprising was the sight of Diablo and his contingent of Demons. He had brought with him Lerajie, a fucking herd of Hellhounds, another serpent and three goddamn fire wraiths. He was not here for a chat.

War groaned, throwing his head back dramatically. “It’s like fuckin’ whack-a-mole with you guys! The hell do you want, Lucy? We just finished handing the Angels their asses, you really want a turn too?”

“As fun as that sounds, War, I’m not here to play.”

Famine, having regained his strength, continuously rotated his double-bladed sword absently as he watched Diablo carefully. “You said it wasn’t you,” he said quietly.

Diablo’s acid blue eyes darkened. “Would I lie to you?”

The sword stopped sharply as Famine stopped its movement with a twist of his hand. He didn’t answer, but he didn’t look away either.

“What are you doing here, Diablo?” Conquest asked.

Irritation flared in Diablo’s eyes. “Wait your turn, Connie. Where are your manners?”

“Question of the day,” War muttered. “You’d think we were heathens or something.”

Conquest sent him an amused smirk. “Just spit it out,” he told Diablo.

Diablo sighed and shook his head with a ‘tut, tut’. “Such impatience. I’m here, if you must know, to take back what’s mine.”

“We didn’t take anything of yours,” Conquest said. He glanced at his brethren but they seemed as confused as he felt. What the fuck was Diablo talking about?

“Oh, I beg to differ.” Diablo ran one long fingernail down his cheek, drawing blood. He sucked the tip into his mouth. “You have something of mine that is very precious to me. Something taken from me a long time ago, that I thought lost to me forever. I will have it back, and I will tear you apart if I must.”

Conquest’s glaive appeared in his hand, the threat drawing out his base instincts.

A hellhound went to move forward and Famine waved a hand in an arc. The ground between them neatly split, an endless chasm opening. The hellhound wasn’t quick enough and slipped in. Its indignant roar cut off abruptly. “What are you talking about?” Famine asked. “Stop it with the flair, Samael, tell us what you’re really doing here.”

“Your Angel, Raziel. He belongs to me and I will have him back now.”

“Over my dead body,” Conquest growled, positioning Raziel behind him and out of Diablo’s line of sight. War flanked him, his flaming sword gripped tightly in his hand.

Famine glanced back at Raziel. “How does Raziel belong to you? He’s not a Fallen Angel.”

“No,” Diablo agreed. “He’s a Demon.”

Raziel took hold of the strap that was occasionally used to hold Conquest’s weapon. “No,” he whispered desperately. “I’m not! He’s lying.”

The problem was that Conquest had known Diablo long enough to have at least somewhat of an idea when the King of the Hells was lying. There was no deceit in his face, no tells that showed he was being anything less than truthful. It made Conquest wary, for more than one reason.

“Yeah?” War drawled. “And what kind of Demon is he?”

“Why, my right hand, of course,” Diablo said, dramatically waving said hand in the air.

Everything in Conquest stilled, his blood running cold as his stomach dropped and white noise rushed through his ears. Abaddon? No, it couldn’t be. Putting aside the fact that they looked nothing alike, Conquest had killed Abaddon millennia ago, so many years that he wouldn’t even be able to pinpoint the exact time. Raziel had said he was barely one hundred years old. His lack of power and complete innocence, along with his pure aura all meant Conquest hadn’t questioned the claim. Had he been fooled? Had Raziel’s open expressions all been an elaborate ruse? Was Abaddon cunning enough for that?

“Hold him,” he instructed War.

War wrapped two strands of flames around Raziel, who was wide-eyed with shock and making no moves to escape, anyway.

Conquest took two large strides forward, stopping at the edge of the chasm. “You’re lying,” Conquest accused Diablo.

“Am I, though? You’ve had a viper in your midst and you never even knew.” Diablo smiled cruelly. “Did you sleep with him, Conquest? The one Immortal you despised above all else, and you fucked him. You did, didn’t you? I can’t ever imagine you bending over for anyone.”

“Shut your fucking mouth.”

“Did he whisper sweet sentiments to you while you were pleasuring him? Pretend to adore you with those big guileless eyes?”

“Shut. Up.”

“He was always such a joy to me, a heart as black as my own. Abaddon, get rid of your trappings and let us leave.”

Raziel shook his head hastily. “No. I’m not-I’m not- please, Conquest, you have to believe me. I’m not what he says. I’m not. I can’t be.” He didn’t struggle against his bonds, only stared pleadingly at Conquest.

“I tire of this charade,” Diablo snarled. “Come to me, my child, now.”

“Abaddon was never your kin,” Famine said softly. “And you need to accept that he’s gone. You cannot change his fate.”

“ He never abandoned me!” Diablo hissed. “And I’m done playing this game! He comes with me, whether he is willing or not. I will bring his true soul forward my own way if need be.”

“He doesn’t remember who he was,” War said into Conquest’s ear. “It’s possible Diablo is telling the truth, about all of it. If Abaddon is in there, he’s buried deep.”

“This changes nothing ,” Conquest said angrily. “He belongs to me.” He pointed his glaive at Diablo. “Take your Demons and get the fuck out of here, before I send you to join your precious child.” The curl of hurt anger, of betrayal around Conquest’s heart began to ease, just a little. He had lived a long time, had stared into the face of deceit, of lies, of evil. He saw none of those things within Raziel. Raziel was light, not darkness; purity, not cruelty. It didn’t matter what Diablo said, didn’t matter what Raziel may have once been. That wasn’t who he was now, Conquest was sure of it. No-one could trick him so completely, not even a manipulative fuck like Abaddon.

Conquest took a breath, felt his power curl outward from his crown in anticipation of a fight.

Diablo’s demeanor changed completely, his snarl morphing into a charming smile. “We don’t need to turn this into a problem,” he said, spreading his arms jovially. “We both know you only have him because the Angels want him. Hand him over, and I’ll deal with them for you.”

Perhaps it had started that way. From the poorly-hidden hurt that flitted across Raziel’s face, it might be a wound that would take a while to heal. But Conquest knew it was more now, for both of them. And he would keep Raziel close until he worked out exactly what that meant. Even if that meant fighting both the Heavens and the Hells to keep the Angel by his side.

“He stays with me,” Conquest said through gritted teeth. “If you have a problem with that, then let’s just do this.”

Diablo sighed. “If you insist, Conquest. I do so hate hurting you and your brothers.” His eyes burned red mixed with a deep orange. His red scaled horns unfurled themselves, blood dripping from their twisted tips and down his cheeks. Conquest had always thought he looked a little like a demonic ram. His fingernails lengthened and fangs grew from the top of his mouth, slipping in front of his bottom lip.

Conquest squeezed the pole of his glaive.

So be it.

“Famine, take Raziel inside. I won’t ask you to join this fight, not today.”

“Con-” Famine broke off with a wounded breath. “Please remember who he is before you do anything permanent.”

Diablo’s connection to them was no longer Conquest’s problem, nor did he care. If the Devil wanted to take his Angel, the Devil could fucking try.

The blast that knocked Conquest forward and into the chasm came out of nowhere. A mighty swing of his glaive against the side of it stopped his descent. He used his energy to push himself up and out of danger. He jumped to his feet, his lips turned up into a snarl, ready to tear Diablo apart.

But Diablo wasn’t where he had left him. They had all been thrown to the ground.

Scowling, Conquest checked their surroundings for what it had been, if it hadn’t been Diablo or his minions.

It didn’t take him too long to realise that one of them was missing. “Raziel? Raziel! ” His heart leapt into his throat; where was his Angel? He’d been right there.

Famine groaned as he pushed himself slowly to his knees. Diablo was by his side in a second, taking hold of his elbow and helping him up. Famine shook him off with a scowl when he tried to check him over for injuries. “Don’t,” he said quietly.

“What did you do with him?” Conquest demanded. He grabbed the front of Diablo’s suit and flung him against the side of the house. “ Where is he?”

“I’d like to ask you the same question!”

“Stop it, both of you,” Famine ordered. “It wasn’t either of us.”

Diablo shoved Conquest off him. His features returned to normal, the blood drying up and disappearing from his face.

“If it wasn’t us, who was it?” War asked, dusting himself off. “That was some fucking firepower right there.”

Famine and Conquest locked eyes. “God,” they said in unison.