Messiah: The First Judgement (Chronicles of Brothers) Read Free Page A

Perdition and satanic regent of the dark world from the kingdom of Persia,’ Dagon declared.
    The menacing Belzoc, satanic king of Persia, rose from his knees to his full nine feet, then strode across the gleaming lapis-lazuli floor towards the throne. He was stopped twenty feet away by six of the Black Horde, who held up their broadswords.
    The chief magus of the Darkened Council walked forward. ‘You may address your emperor.’
    Belzoc fell to one knee, then pushed his coarse mane of matted black hair away from his craggy face and raised his glinting red eyes to his emperors. ‘I return from Persia, Your Majesty,’ he rasped, glutinous yellow saliva dripping from his thin pale lips. ‘My dark slaves of the Race of Men have executed your command. Every newborn prince and royal in the kingdom of Persia is slain.’ His dark demonic tones echoed throughout the chamber.
    Lucifer stared at him, grim and silent.
    The chief magus spoke again: ‘I announce His Royal Highness, Prince Merodach, regent of the kingdom of Babylonia.’
    Merodach fell to one knee, trembling.
    ‘Every royal house, every palace, castle and pavilion in the kingdom of Babylonia has been ransacked – all of royal lineage are slain.’
    Lucifer stood, strode over to the east side of the chamber, and flung open the heavy velvet curtains.
    ‘Yet still the nova burns flaming in the heavens,’ he cried.
    ‘He lives !’ He spun around in fury.
    Marduk, head of the Darkened Councils and Lucifer’s chief of staff, entered the gates. Marduk slunk towards the throne and bowed, then raised his hooded face to Lucifer’s.
    ‘I bring news of the nova,’ he wheezed, his sibilant hiss echoing through the throne room. He bowed again deeply. Only his jaundiced, straw coloured eyes could be glimpsed under the fawn cassock hood. Lucifer waved his hand to the magi and his regents. ‘Leave us.’
    Immediately the twelve regents scattered to the outer court. Marduk moved closer to the throne and lifted his hood, his ravaged, sallow features now clearly visible.
    ‘The star moves east, Your Majesty, to the Mideastern regions of Planet Earth.’ Lucifer stared out beyond the hunched Marduk, past the enormous sapphire doors, to where the star still hung, ‘Our battalions have scoured Persia, Greece, Babylon, sire – he is not to be found.’
    Lucifer slowly turned his gaze onto a tall sinister form who now stood at the gates’ entrance.
    Charsoc the Dark had well earned his name among the fallen as Lucifer’s Dark Apostle. Before his fall from the First Heaven, he had been one of the High Council of Yehovah’s eight ancient high elders, one of the great angelic monarchs of heaven, keeper of Yehovah’s sacred mysteries, second only to Jether the Just. But the treacherous Charsoc had effortlessly degenerated to the blackest and foulest of Necromancer Kings, now reigning as Chief High Priest of the Fallen. Governor of the Grand Wizards of the Black Court and the dreaded Warlock Kings of the West.
    His iniquitous, wizened sallow countenance was now framed by a veil of jet black, poker-straight hair and beard. Where his eyes had been, two seared, white gaping eyeballs stared sinisterly out minus both iris and pupils. An ever-present reminder of the day and the hour that Christos Himself had visited the penitentiaries of the damned. His voluminous harlequin sorcerer’s gown was of the finest taffeta and tasselled, tied in the middle with a thick vermillion satin sash. His bony, pale fingers were covered in gold rings set with sapphires, opals, and emeralds. Charsoc vanished from the gates, then rematerialized directly before Lucifer’s throne bowing deeply, his hair sweeping the floor.
    ‘Your Excellency, great Prince...’ Charsoc’s voice was both sinister and cultured in tone. ‘The nova heralds a newborn prince; this infant king to be born of the Race of Men is one of great royal lineage.’ He caressed the fire opals on his thumb ring. ‘A star of this