Love is Always Write Anthology Volume 5 Read Free

Hell, a small gap at the base of the flame. Onyx pillars marked the edges of this gate, and its three-headed guardian had only failed a handful of times at protecting it from intruders. Just inside the gate was a thronging crowd, demons of every shape and size and allegiance, and in the center of that crowd, Renat could detect a light. The light was faint, dimmed by the proximity of so many hellspawn, but there was no denying that it was purely angelic. Renat had once glowed with that sign of the grace of God himself, and it struck a chord in him that was so deeply-buried he had forgotten its existence. This angel was indeed untainted.
    Renat landed in a whirlwind of cinders stirred up by the force of his wings. Minor demons immediately moved aside for him, shielding their eyes from the stinging heat. The inner circle, demons far more powerful than the madding excess driven by curiosity, were slower to move. Renat's eyes burned with red-gold fire, and a moment later his sword appeared in his hand. It was still sheathed, but that weapon's reputation had spread to every corner of Hell as something that no demon wanted to face, and they grudgingly shifted for him as well, closing their gaping jaws and retracting claws as they reigned in their constant menace.
    In the very center of the circle, providing the spectacle that had so many demons transfixed, was Semiazas. He was a huge creature, thickly built, with four squat centaurian legs and a torso that sprouted up from the very center of his worm-like body. The tips of his blunt, heavy fingers flickered with fire, and his face was a hideous blend of equine and human. He was great and ruddy and powerful, the nightmarish embodiment of one of Satan's first lieutenants. Lying on one side before Semiazas, his upper half barely held off the ground by his trembling arms, was the angel. As soon as Renat saw him, even though it was only the being's back, he knew Nergal had been right.
    The pale wings that had once been blinding and bright were now faded, dirtied from soot and ash. Long chestnut hair had been hacked off, and Renat could see strands of it clutched in various demons' hands, held close like the precious drug it was. Tasting pure celestial energy was the rarest of all experiences, and Semiazas had done his part to buy the crowd by dispensing a small measure of that energy to them. Instead of a robe of white the angel was nude, and his naturally flawless skin already showed signs of abuse, red and black burns weeping where Semiazas had laid his flaming hands on him. Draped over his shoulders and coiled around his legs was a chain of hellfire, and it burned a sullen blood red, able to restrain the angel but unable to harm him as long as his purity of soul remained intact.
    "Renat," Semiazas hissed, his voice nasal and flat. A forked tongue poked between the gap in his enormous teeth. "What brings the Pretender of Hell here?" The Pretender was one of many names that Renat carried through the pit. He was one of the very few Fallen who had mostly held on to his angelic form despite their exile from God. His appearance angered many of the other demons, especially those who had been totally transformed by the fires of Hell.
    "This angel is mine," Renat replied. His voice was calm and cold, while inside he was shaking with the need to claim. "You will release the binding chain holding him."
    Semiazas brayed loudly, vastly amused. The nearest demons joined in with scornful laughter. "First to find, first to bind and then the deal is done," Semiazas said when he could speak again. "I found the angel, I brought him through the Western Gate. He is mine to enjoy as I please." He jerked the chain, forcing the angel up onto his knees. Renat couldn't let himself focus on it. If he did he would lose his mind.
    "I give you one last chance to release the binding chain without bloodshed," Renat intoned, stretching his wings a little wider. He knew how this was going to play out, had known from