The Bound Angel (Sacrilege Rising: Book 1)

Chapter Thirty One

Mike’s heart was pounding when the car finally came to a stop. The sedan had taken twists and turns through the city until he was surrounded by unfamiliar buildings and street signs. He kept his eyes on the SUV in front of them the whole way, never letting it out of his sight.

He watched with one hand on the door handle, knuckles turning white, ready to jump out at a moment’s notice if they lost the car with the girls. But they never did. The two vehicles kept an even pace, sticking to the speed limit and never splitting up for more than the distance a stop sign required. At one point, a streetlight flipped to yellow just before the lead SUV entered the intersection. Mike tensed, but his sedan sped up and they both made it through.

Tension was building the whole way, so by the time the cars slowed, then stopped, he was ready for a fight. He got out without being told, walked right up to the SUV with his friends, and opened the door. Or, tried to. But it was locked. Obviously.

“Back up,” one of the goons snapped.

Mike stared him down with the need to do something, anything, but realized the man was just trying to open the door. When the girls got out, they were each restrained the same way; gagged with strips of cloth and hands tied behind their backs. Their wild eyes reflected his own terror.

The thought of throwing down right there and creating a distraction for them to get away was tempting, but there were just too many goons. Seven big, mean looking dudes. Mike grew up in the city, so he could fight a little, but he wasn’t a ninja. Fighting here would do more harm than good, and the streets were bare. City people kept their heads down. Better to see how this would play out than force the issue when he didn’t even know what was going on.

The looks in each of the men’s eyes was unsettling. They were focused, hungry, a little manic. With firm hands on each of their backs, the foursome was ushered off the sidewalk.

Mike hadn’t paid attention to where they were, and now looked up in surprise. The biggest church he’d ever seen loomed over them. An enormous, golden crucifixion reached into the sky, easily four or five stories tall, jutting proudly above the roof line. Stone gargoyles stood sentinel on their perches. Tall, stained-glass windows lined each side of the building.

Why did it have to be another church? They were about to find out, because the hands on their backs encouraged them to enter through heavy doors.

The wide hall was full of light, but it wasn’t from the stained glass. Instead, it was a warm, hazy yellow. Candles were everywhere. He’d never seen so many in one place. It was like a scene out of a horror movie. He half expected heads to start spinning and someone to crawl out of the dark doing an upside-down crab walk.

They stood in one large room filled with pews that focused on the altar at the far end. The table was covered in polished ornamentation. Silver chalices and dishes reflected fractured rays of light around the hall. This must be one of those churches where wealth was synonymous with faithfulness, though what it was doing in this part of town, he couldn’t guess.

“Welcome, friends,” a rich baritone said from somewhere in the smoky haze. The silhouette of a man was approaching, wearing dark robes that fell to his ankles. When he saw them, he stopped short, looking confused. “What is going on? Why are they…” he rounded on one of the goons. “Is this your doing?”

The broad-shouldered man looked just as confused. “You said… we thought-”

“You thought wrong. Untie them. Now. Quickly. What is the matter with you?”

One by one, Meredith, Allie, and Emma were freed. They rubbed sore wrists and licked dry lips.

“My name is Silas,” the man continued. “And I must apologize for my associates’ lack of manners.” He turned a disbelieving look on the lead goon. “What could have possibly given you reason to tie them up? I asked you to invite them here. Invite, not kidnap. This is no action picture. And if it were, we would certainly be the villains after all this, wouldn’t we?”

He gave Mike and his friends an exasperated look. “My sincerest apologies. This was supposed to be a friendly visit. Do forgive me. Can I get you anything to drink?” He looked to the girls. “Where are my manners. Please. Sit. The ride here must have been dreadfully uncomfortable.”

Mike looked around as the goons seemed to melt into the shadows. Something was definitely wrong. No legitimate organization, or whatever this was, tied you up, misunderstanding or no. Though the leader, Silas, seemed to be friendly enough. He looked familiar, but Mike couldn’t place him.

A moment later, the goons came back carrying trays of refreshments. Fruits, cheeses, pitchers of iced tea and lemonade, which, Mike admitted, looked great after the hot car. And something else was different, besides their manners. They were now wearing the same long, dark robes as Silas.

Light glinted off long metal blades at their sides. They must have been props for something, because who the hell carried swords around? Though it fit the medieval theme going on here, with the robes and the candles. But all the hospitality in the world wouldn’t distract Mike from the fact that he and his friends were just kidnapped.

“Cut the shit,” he snapped. “What the hell are we doing here?”

Silas’ warm smile grew even more apologetic.

“Your reaction is understandable. I would be asking the same thing were our roles reversed. Are you sure none of you would like something to eat or drink? No? Very well. Michael… it is Michael, isn’t it?”

“How do you know my name?”

For a second, the older man looked disappointed. “You don’t remember. Well, I can’t fault you for that. We have met.” He looked to each of them. “We all have. It was some time ago, and you were a bit, ah… preoccupied, at the time.”

It came to Mike then, where he’d seen the man before. The name, Silas, seemed to stick in his mind. “You were at the warehouse,” he said with dawning realization. Of course this had to do with Liliana. He’d lived a perfectly normal life until he met her, and since then everything had gone crazy. A kidnapping was right in line with expectations at this point.

Silas looked sheepish, like he’d caught them in some embarrassing act. Which, to be fair, he had. Those days were still a little hazy, but Mike’s cheeks felt hot at the memory.

“You see,” Silas continued. “I did not know exactly what was happening at the time. I understand that may cause some trepidation on your part, but I assure you I had nothing to do with what occurred.” He held one hand to his heart and managed to look solemn. “But, I admit, it is part of the reason I have invited you here today.”

“I don’t remember getting an invitation,” Mike growled.

“Again, my sincerest apologies for the way you have been treated. But,” he clapped his hands together, “the show must go on. Come, Michael. Walk with me.”

Mike looked him in the eye. “We’re not splitting up. They can hear anything you have to say to me.”

For the first time, Silas’ easy smile faltered. It was the slightest twitch at the corner of his mouth, the tiniest hardening in his eyes, before disappearing. “Of course, I meant no disrespect. Let us all speak together.”

Mike and the girls followed the older man as he began walking around the perimeter of the church. Mostly because there was nowhere else to go.

“Where shall we begin, hmmm? At the beginning, I suppose,” Silas chuckled to himself. “I consider myself something of a historian. I have been to the cradles of humanity, Mexico, Egypt, China, to study the foundations of human civilization. What I discovered was that most religions have more in common with each other than not. Their stories overlap. Their heroes go by different names, but commit similar deeds. Profits, messiahs, angels. Their villains are much the same. Spirits, div-e sepid, demons. It is fascinating how history and religion are intertwined.”

The word demon made the hair on the back of Mike’s neck stand up, and he willed himself not to react.

Silas didn’t seem to notice. “When I was a boy, not much younger than yourselves, my father committed suicide. I came home one day and found him dead on the kitchen floor. As I approached, a shadow rose up from his body. It seemed to unfold from his corpse. For an instant, the shadow’s eyes met mine. In its gaze, I saw rage, brutality, hatred, but once it got a good look at me, those things faded into indifference. Don’t ask me how I know that, because I still have no idea. It was just a feeling. Then the shadow disappeared, poof, and I was hooked. The more I studied, the more I learned how real the supernatural was. An interest in mythology and lore became a career.”

Though his story was creepy, Mike found himself getting drawn in. The man was a natural storyteller, with a rich voice that never stumbled or stuttered. He spoke in a way that made you want to hear more.

Silas’ face became somber, like long-buried memories were coming back to him. “Over the years, I have seen terrible things.” He repeated the words under his breath. Then his voice returned to normal. “And I strive to understand so I can help those in need, so I can tell them they are not alone. For life is difficult for us all.”

They were still slowly circling the wide hall, listening to the man speak. Mike’s attention began to wander over the opulent display of wealth on the altar. The way the sun was setting through the stained-glass windows. The way the candle flames waved lazily in the air.

“Which brings me to the night we met.” Silas paused for a moment to eye them. “I had previously come into contact with a being that went by the name the Dark Lady. You may know her as Liliana.” His eyes flicked to Mike’s and saw recognition. “Ah, yes, I thought so.” He nodded reassuringly. “I know, Michael. To stand in her presence is to bask in the light of a goddess. But do not be fooled. She is a particular brand of evil, preying on man’s most basic needs, destroying any that stand in her way. When I saw the four of you in her thrall, I desperately wanted to help. To jump into the water with you and lift your heads above the surface. But there was nothing I could do at the time, for she is powerful, with many allies.” He watched Mike carefully when he said, “As difficult as it is to believe, she is a demon, Michael.” When Mike didn’t immediately react, Silas breathed a sigh of relief and murmured, “So you understand.”

Mike sensed the story was coming to its end. Silas set the stage well. Mike had almost forgotten about how they came to be at this church, and what all the creepy occult-like ornamentations could mean, finding himself enthralled in the story.

Silas looked shaken. “So, regretfully, I left. But I also noticed something. The Dark Lady was not acting like herself. She was desperate, almost deferential. She wore a collar around her throat and called you master. She listened to you. And that was not at all what I expected. I knew if I could just learn more about her, and your situation, I could find a way to help. Which brings us to today.”

This was it. The sales pitch Mike saw coming from the moment they stepped foot in the church. Silas stopped and turned to face him. Their eyes met.

“I can free you of her,” the older man said simply. “She and her kind are running rampant through this city, destroying lives and families along the way. But I can control her. I can take this burden from you.”

Mike eyed the monk as he turned the story over in his head. He could take Liliana off his hands. He could free him. But something wasn’t sitting right. “Just like that? You can make her go away?” He looked around the hall. “Is that what this is all about? Some ritual to break the bond?”

When Silas spoke, his voice was full of the same quiet intensity that burned in his eyes. “It is not simply about her, Michael. She leads a legion of the damned, corrupting this city even as we speak. If you pass her to me, I will take them away from here. You, your friends, your family, thousands of others will be free from their sinister influence.”

Mike was taken aback. It was everything he wanted to hear. “I’ve tried, you know, to break it. To release her. I’ve tried everything. Nothing works.”

The older man looked confused for a moment. “To… break, the bond, you say?”

“Yeah. I’ve done everything she’s said.”

Silas tilted his head and muttered to himself, “What is she playing at? She should know better.” He added, “Though it may be worth the risk.” He looked up to see the group staring. “I am sorry. It is just… a bond like that cannot be broken. It can only be passed from one to another. I am surprised she did not tell you that.”

Something clicked into place. Of course that was how it worked. Mike had tried everything he could think of to break the bond and failed each time. He couldn’t even make a scratch. But to pass the bond? To give it to someone else? That might work. No, it would work. He didn’t know how he knew, but he did.

But was that what he really, truly wanted? Ever since he met Lana, his life had been turned upside down. When he found out who she really was, it went from crazy to insane, and he’d been telling himself the whole time that he would do whatever he could to be free of her. He would save his friends from this new dark reality. But now that the option was real and tangible and standing right in front of him, he hesitated.

“Do it,” a voice said from behind. It was Meredith who spoke, but Emma was nodding in agreement. Allie just shrugged. They could be free of this curse, free of this blessing, free of the chaos and depravity. Selfishly, Mike wasn’t sure. It wasn’t all bad, certainly. But he quickly banished that thought. Of course he would pass the bond. If the girls really wanted to be with him, they still could. And if they wanted to leave, then it wasn’t right to keep them against their will.

And the demons. He’d only seen glimpses, but glimpses were terrifying enough. Once upon a time, he’d thought Lana was removing them from the city. Now he knew better. Liliana wasn’t just destroying demons, she was replacing them with her own. It wasn’t a cleansing, it was a takeover.

His mind made up, Mike squared his shoulders, looked Silas in the eye, and said, “Alright. What do we-”

A heavy crunch interrupted him. It sounded like a sledgehammer smashing through rotten wood. Mike’s head snapped around, searching for the source, but he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Then he noticed the doors to the church. They were splintered and buckled. Were they like that before? An instant later, another thundering blow struck, and the doors burst open. One was knocked clear off its hinge and sent skidding across the floor. The other swung wildly, slamming against the wall before coming back around.

Liliana strode through the opening.