Page 17 of Metatron
“How can I tell the difference between an imp and a demon?”
“When you meet one, you’ll know it,” he promised. “Just be careful you don’t listen to its lies.”
A bit melodramatic so I rolled my eyes. “Imp. Demon. Whatever. I’ll eliminate them both. So back to this nest you found that needs cleansing. What do you know about it? Got any footage?” Not necessarily needed, given Templars often went in blind, embarking on missions sometimes based on rumor alone.
“The cantorii placed the surveillance onto one of these little sticks that you might view it.” He held up a USB device. I snatched it and loaded it into a laptop. There was a single file on it, a video, which I played.
It showed a rocky mountain, almost sheer. Three-quarters up it, a lip jutted and provided a door sill of sorts to a dark crevice. A cave, the most popular choice for a nest. Surprised it wasn’t twigs in a tree? Don’t be. Nest referred to the fact the imps liked to huddle in a mass. Some hung from the ceiling, but those that couldn’t fly, their wings too stunted or weak, congregated on the ground, a stinking group of monsters who only came out to feed.
Most times the Templar sects managed to find them before they went through the local wildlife and started going after humans. The knights kept a close watch on news reports of animal attacks taking down large prey or going after entire herds without being seen. Soon as we had a suspected nest, we went in and wiped it out. Callous? Not after you’d seen your first monster chewing on a toddler who still clutched its teddy.
The video kept playing, the shadows moving rapidly, showing a time-lapse as the sun set and the moon rose. Its bare light allowed me to see a gray mishappen face peering out of the cave. The imagery zoomed past the opening to show a moderately sized space with about a dozen snoozing bodies.
Three snipers outside the cave entrance would be more than enough to handle it. Time to show Tron why his training in hand-to-hand was a waste. We should be practicing our gun aim on moving targets.
I shut the laptop and caught Tron’s gaze where he stood across from me. “Okay, I’ve got what I need. We’ll beam in four. Me, Joey, Kyra, and Monroe. We’ll have Zilla drop us about a mile downwind of their location.”
“Who is Zilla?”
“Your ship. Duh.” How could he not know her name?
He appeared puzzled. “Our vessel is a cantorii.”
“Whose name is Zilla.”
He frowned. “Only arks have names.”
“According to you. All I know is Zilla told me her name, and unlike you, I don’t have a problem being nice and using it.”
“I find it hard to believe you’re communicating. After all, why would the cantorii choose contact with you over me or one of the choir?”
“Because your God put up some kind of a block that prevents her from talking to angels. Maybe you should look into removing it.”
His lips went flat. “Perhaps I will. About your plan, there will be five beaming, as I’ll be joining you for observation.”
“Do you have to?” I was well aware by this point how the angels were a magnet for imps when they turned their HALOs on, which meant if he came with us we’d lose our surprise advantage.
“If I’m going to gauge how to best use the Templars in battle, I should see how you fight. And I can also intercede should you misjudge the situation.”
“Still not sure why you’re so intent on having us fight. I thought the plan was to blow Hell up before it got here.” Over the last few weeks, it had been decided we’d try and nuke the shit out of the Hell-roid heading our way. Now if only we could get some of the governments on our side. So far, only the Americans were talking with us, and by talking, I meant we had the ear of one retired Air Force general who believed in ETs.
“If the attempt to damage or divert Hell fails, you should be ready. Not to mention, Hell’s scouts will be here soon enough, and they will be ruthless.”
“Nastier than imps?” I queried with a lilt.
“Very. The scout ships will be carrying pawn demons, not their smartest but chosen because they are fast, wily, and ruthless.”
The somberness of his statement brought a shiver to my flesh. “Then I guess we’d better make sure we’re ready. What time should I tell the team we’re going?”
“Now.”
My brow arched. “What?”
Tron smirked at me as he said, “You won’t always have the luxury of preparation. Grab what you need. We go now.”
Chapter 6
Nothing like being given no notice for a mission. However, I wasn’t about to argue with the smug-looking Tron. He expected me to complain. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction.