It was now Wednesday morning, the sun was shining bright and I was outside cleaning my car with Lily. I hadn't cleaned it since I got it and it was in a terrible state, so I thought it deserved a treat. We were chatting away, about nothing in particular, just giggling and throwing soap suds at each other, when Lucian pulled up on the driveway with Beth. They were a couple now, and were really happy together. Everywhere they went they were either holding hands or had their arms around each other.
“Morning, ladies,” he shouted.
“Morning!” Lily and I shouted back.
“Who’s here with you?”
“Marley’s upstairs in the game room with Tyler; Danny and Eligos are scrapping around the back,” I told him.
“Jakes gone somewhere with his mom, and Hecate is with Unsere and her hubby in Hell,” Lily added.
“Fair enough!” Beth smiled.
“Hey do you mind doing my car when you’ve finished with yours,” Lucian said, smirking.
“Get real!” Lily said jokingly.
“So what are your…” he went to say.
“Hey guys, look at that!” Beth interrupted, shielding her eyes and looking up at the sky.
We all turned to see what she was looking at. The moon was visible and was slowly starting to move in front of the sun.
“Since when was there going to be an eclipse?” Lily asked. “Don't they normally mention it on the TV so everyone can watch?”
“It’s going to be a full one too by the looks of it,” Beth said.
“Wow, you know, I’ve never actually seen one,” I added, watching in amazement.
We all stood there watching as the moon covered more and more of the sun. The daylight started to fade and an aura of light surrounded the moon. It was beautiful. Eligos and Danny came and stood by us, watching it too.
“I didn't know about this,” Danny said.
“No, none of us did,” Lucian told him.
It didn’t take long for daylight to fade completely; it was like standing outside at midnight.
“Errr, does that normally happen that fast?” Lily asked.
“No!” Eligos said very seriously.
“Guys!” we heard Hecate shout. She ran over to us, with Unsere by her side, then looked up at the sky. “Oh no, it’s too late.”
“Hecate, what is it?” Danny asked.
She seemed to ignore him and looked directly at Eligos.
“Lucifer called a meeting this morning with a demon,” she told him. “That demon didn't show up.”
“Oroan?”
“Yeah.”
“Damn!” he said, taking a few steps forward and looking up again. “We need to find him. Fast.”
“OK, OK, hang on a minute. Who the hell is Oroan, and what's the problem?” I asked, walking over to him.
“Oroan is the demon of the eclipse. He can control any planet’s movement, and its moons. If this lasts too long, the world will be in turmoil.”
“Imagine this, Keira,” Hecate said, “tidal waves, like nobody has ever seen before…He could shadow the rest of the sun, and then the whole world would be in darkness. Within hours the Earth would feel cooler, just as it does at night. Within a few days anything operated by solar panels will stop working. The planet will freeze…”
“How long could he keep it up for?” I asked Hecate.
“As long as he wants. He got the power when he first came to Hell. He was a nice guy who wanted to show the people of the world something amazing and beautiful. But now, I don't know what's wrong with him, or why he’s changed.”
“OK so let’s just put it this way – long solar eclipse and blocking off sun is bad. Therefore he needs to be stopped,” Lily said.
“Pretty much yeah,” Eligos told her.
Lily’s phone started ringing so she walked away from us for a moment.
“So how do we find him?” I asked.
“I can try and track him, but I can’t promise anything,” Hecate replied.
“OK, see what you can do; we need a plan B.”
“Does Lilith know about this?” Eligos asked.
“Yeah, she does,” I heard Unsere say. She came over to us and stood next to Beth. “She and Lucifer are working on tracking him down.”
“That was Jake,” Lily said, coming back towards us. “It’s a breaking story on the news channels. It seems the whole planet is going into darkness…well, the half where it isn’t night already.”
“We need to work quickly,” I said.
“Keira!” Tyler shouted through the games room window. “Keira, quick. It’s Marley.”
I was about to run but Eligos grabbed me and teleported us into the room. Marley was on the floor in the corner of the room, her head in her hands, crying.
“Get out of my head,” she said over and over again. “Leave me alone.”
“Marley!” I said, grabbing her arms. “Marley look at me. You’re OK, you’re safe.”
“Make him go away,” she sobbed.
“Who is he? I can’t see him, Marley.”
“Please, Keira, make him stop!”
I stood up and looked around the room, but nobody was there, I couldn’t even sense a presence. Eligos and Tyler shouted to the others to check the house.
“Marley, there’s nobody here, darlin’; you’re safe, he can’t hurt you he…”
“He’s taken the sun,” she said. “He’s taken it and he wants to keep it. It’s so dark, Keira. I can’t see.”
I didn't understand what she was saying. Tyler had thought to turn the lights on when he noticed it getting dark so the room was brightly lit.
“Marley, look at me,” I said, moving her arms from in front of her face. “Look at me.”
“Keira, there’s nobody in the house,” Beth said as she walked in the room with Lucian. “Marley!” she cried when she saw the state of her. She started to run over but Lucian grabbed her quickly.
“Take her outside,” I told him.
“No, Marley, no!” Beth said, struggling with Lucian.
“Beth, you can’t do anything for her. Let Keira handle it,” he told her, as he picked her up and carried her out of the room.
Lily walked in with Eligos and shut the door after them.
“Marley, come on,” I said.
“No I can’t – he’s coming.”
“What? Here?”
“I don't know! He’s grinning at me…he can see me,” she cried hysterically.
“Right, that's it!” I grabbed her and pulled her to her feet. She went to slide down again but Eligos held her up. “Last chance, Marley! Look at me.”
“I can’t I…”
I didn't let her finish her sentence; instead I slapped her across her face.
“Keira!” Lily gasped.
Marley looked straight at me, confusion on her face.
“Are you with us?” I asked her.
“…Yeah.”
“Good, now who is coming?”
“I don't know his name,” she said in a shaken voice. “He had bright-red eyes, he was looking up at the sky at first, then the sun disappeared and then he turned and looked straight at me.”
“Did he say anything?”
“He said something like Orion or…”
“Oroan,” Eligos said, letting go of her.
“Yes, yes, that was it.”
“Where was he?”
“I don't know,” she said, shaking her head.
“Think, Marley,” Lily said softly. “What did you see around him?”
“Erm, I don’t know, erm, I could see a church, a really big one. I’ve seen it before, I know I have.”
“Where, tell me where?” I said.
“Oh, oh, it was the same church I saw in a vision I had of you, Keira; you were fighting some man in a suit.”
“The one on the hill? The same place we fought with Argyle.”
“Figures,” Eligos said. “A long, long time ago Oroan and Argyle were good friends. He must have been pissed when he
found out Argyle had been put to death.”
“I’m going after him,” I told them.
“Lucifer knows where he is,” Hecate said, barging into the room.
“Yeah the church where we fought Argyle,” Lily said.
“How did…never mind.”
“I’m going now,” I told them while heading for the door.
“Hey, hey!” Eligos said, grabbing my arm. “Think about it, Keira. He chose somewhere close to where you live. He told Marley who he was. He’s not cast any spell to stop him being traced. Keira, it’s a trap – he wants you to go to him.”
“What choice do I have?”
“Let me go.”
“No, no way, not without me.”
“Keira…” he began.
“We can all go…Well, we’ll hide Marley and Beth; they’re not strong enough.”
“I’ll go with you,” Lily and Hecate said at the same time.
“So it’s settled then.”
“I’m coming!” Marley said to me. “I don't care what you say.”
“Marley…”
“I said I’m coming.”
“Fine.”
We walked downstairs and headed for the cars. Hecate updated the guys, including Jake, who had now turned up. Eligos, Unsere and Hecate and I set off first, closely followed by Jake’s and Lucian’s cars carrying the others. When we were a few minutes from the church I turned to look at Eligos; he was going through REM.
“Who are you talking to?” I asked.
“Brad, I’m telling him to be on call. We don't know what's going to meet us,” he said. “He’s trying to contact Carlos.”
“He’s another one of your top guys, isn’t he?”
“Yeah, good memory!” he said.
“Carlos is an idiot,” Hecate snapped. “He should never have been given such a duty.”
“Why?” I asked.
“We’ll tell you another time,” Unsere said.
I pulled up a few hundred yards away from the church. Everyone got out of their cars and walked over to us.
“How do you want to do this?” Jake asked.
“I don't know,” I said, looking around me, scanning the bushes and small groups of trees.
“Eligos?”
“It’s not my call, mate. She’s the boss.”
“OK, I’ve got an idea,” I said, taking a very deep breath. “WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU YOU FU-?
“Keira!” Marley and Tyler shouted.
“Language!” Lily said, shocked.
“Ha ha,” we heard a voice say. “Telling a princess off, you’re a brave girl, Lily.”
We looked around us but we couldn’t see anything. It was so dark – the only light we had was from the headlights of the cars.
“How does he know my name?” Lily whispered.
“And who else do we have? – Eligos, Beth, Jake, Lucian, Tyler, Danny, Hecate – nice to see you, Unsere, Marley, ah yes, my little Marley.”
Tyler put his arm around Marley. Hecate and Unsere moved closer to her, ready to protect her.
“Show yourself, you prick!” Danny demanded.
“As you wish,” the voice said.
A split second later a rather small man was standing a few feet in front of us. He was middle-aged, a few inches shorter than me and actually had a friendly face.
“Why are you doing this, Oroan?” Eligos asked. “Why have you joined them?”
“I haven’t joined anyone, my friend,” he said, walking a few steps closer. “As for this,” he said, looking at the eclipse, “this was just me using my power one last time.”
“I don't understand,” I said.
“Sweet Keira, your mother and Lucifer have been pulling demons in and killing them for weeks. Nobody who has been taken in has walked back out. I went travelling between worlds for a while, using my power and seeing the awe on people’s faces when they watched the skies. Because they didn't know where I was, and because I was alone, they summoned me to the Palace. I know what fate awaits me.”
“Why did you say you would keep this up, that you would hide the sun?” Marley asked in a shaken voice.
“Don’t be frightened of me, Marley; I mean you no harm. I said those things so you would come for me,” Oroan told her. “I knew if I turned up and asked for help you would have doubted me,” he said, turning to face Eligos. “You my friend would have done your job and taken me to the Palace, and I respect that. But I wouldn't have come out of there alive. So I thought, if I threaten, if I frightened one of you, all of you, you would come for me and have no choice but to kill me. And I would rather die by your hand, for actually doing something, than die by theirs for travelling and not having an alibi.”
“Oroan, my friend, I will not kill you, not when you have done nothing wrong,” Eligos told him.
“Please bring the sun back!” Lily said.
He smiled warmly at her for a moment, then his eyes turned red and the moon slowly started to move away from the sun.
“Thank you,” she said to him.
“Oroan, I will come with you to see Lilith,” Eligos told him. “I will defend you.”
“They will demand you leave.”
“They can demand all they like. I shall not leave.”
“They will kill you if you defy them,” he said worriedly.
“No they won’t,” I told him. “If he dies, I die, and Lilith wouldn't want that. I will go with you too.”
“No, I won’t go. I’m sorry but I will do what I have to, to make you kill me. I’ve lived long enough now. I want a decent death, not to be executed, please, my friend,” he said, looking at Eligos again.
I studied Oroan’s face. Although his words sounded sincere, his eyes, now back to normal and visible with the light from the re-appearing sun, looked frightened, frantic. Something was wrong. I looked at his hands, it looked like he was trying to move them but they were being forced to stay by his side.
“Oroan, can you give me a moment with Marley,” I said. “She’s young; I don't want her to see this.”
“Of course.”
I grabbed her arm and dragged her away.
“Keira I can handle…”
“Shhh. Listen,” I whispered. “Get inside his head; there’s something not quite right with this.”
“How do you mean?” she whispered back.
“Just trust me. Get in his head and tell me what he’s thinking.”
“I’ll try.”
“Quickly.”
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. A few seconds later she opened them again.
“He keeps saying, ‘Carlos, stop, please stop. Why me, Carlos, stop please,’” she told me quietly.
“I knew it! He’s being controlled, he’s doesn’t want to die.”
“Oh no, who is Carlos?”
“One of Eligos’s top men; there’s him and Brad.”
“What do we do?” she asked me.
“Stay here. It makes it look like you don't want to see him die. Just give me two minutes, OK.”
“OK.”
I walked back over to the others and asked Tyler and Jake to go to Marley.
“OK,” I said, looking at Oroan. “I will do it, if you don't mind it being me.”
“I don't mind. You’re a nice girl, a powerful girl.”
“I just have one question.”
“Go ahead.”
“Why is it that you want Oroan to die…Carlos?”
“What!” Eligos shouted.
“Where are you, you bastard?” I asked.
Oroan dropped to his knees then looked up at me.
“How did you know” he asked.
“Your eyes and Marley got inside your head.”
“Thank you.”
“Where is he?” Eligos asked between gritted teeth.
“I don't know. I just know he’s close,” Oroan told him.
Chapter Forty-Five
Carlos
We looked around for Carlos near the church, but we couldn
’t find him anywhere. We took Oroan back to my house and Hecate and Unsere returned to Hell to explain to Lucifer and Lilith what had happened. We all sat together in the living room.
“Why did Carlos want you to die, and if he wanted you dead, why didn't he just let Lucifer kill you?” I asked Oroan.
“Lucifer can detect if a spell is being used on someone if he is close to them. He would have known I was being controlled and Carlos would have been exposed. Which is why he wanted me dead. He knew I had found out he was against you all.”
“How did you find out?” Eligos asked.
“I heard him muttering to himself after a conversation with Brandameer a while ago. He held me prisoner and under a demon’s trap for weeks, then made up the story that I’d been travelling alone and all that nonsense. Then he got me to tell you all that.”
“When I find him, I’ll kill him!” I said.
“No you won’t!” Eligos said sternly, standing and walking towards the window, “He’s mine.”
“Can you take him?” Beth asked.
“You just watch me.”
Hecate and Unsere appeared next to the fireplace, both with smiles on their faces.
“Oroan, you do not have to go to the Palace,” Hecate said happily.
“What?” he replied in shock.
“We told Lil and Lu what had happened,” Unsere told him.
“Lil and Lu!” I giggled.
“Yeah,” she smirked. “Anyway they said it was a close call, and that we are to find Carlos and take him to them.”
“No!” Eligos said. “You can tell them both, that bastard is mine!”
“Thank you all so much. I’m not ready to not be here just yet,” Oroan smiled. “I owe you all, and when the time comes, I’ll fight by your side.”
“Thank you,” I said. “That means a lot, especially after…” I trailed off.
“It’s a small thank-you,” he smiled again. “And don't worry about what happened to Argyle. We were friends millennia ago. I knew he had a wicked side and decided I didn't want to associate with someone like that. So don't feel guilty or anything on my account. If I’d have known about what he was going to do to you all, I would have gone after him myself. Anyway, if ever there is anything I can do for you, just let me know.”