The Lesser Evil - 9. The Spies

Purgatory. A vast, barren area that separated the Celestial Spire, home of the angels, from the Demonic Domain. Rather than being a combination of both, borrowing features from both the angelic and demonic realms, Purgatory was instead devoid of any such characteristics. With strange land formations and glimmering, silver-hued rocks, it was practically its own separate dimension. Its sky was in a perpetual state of semi-darkness, with hundreds of stars scattered across its every corner.

Every now and then, a dim light would flicker above the ground for a brief moment, signifying another soul that was about to appear before beginning its journey to the afterlife. Where exactly did they go - no one knew. The stories Lothar heard from elder demons said that neither angels nor demons had any power or influence over them, except in rare cases. After death, human souls would go to Purgatory, and would then supposedly move on to their own, separate dimension.

A gentle breeze blew as Lothar rushed through the desolate terrain, not caring about the flickers of light all around him. He was on a mission.

“Hold on, what’s the rush?” Zelig yelled, running behind him in an attempt to catch up. “The Spire isn’t going anywhere.”

“The sooner we get this over with, the better,” Lothar replied curtly, not in the mood for chit-chat. Edwin’s doubts and accusations still hurt, as much as the demon hated to admit it. How could he even think that Lothar could have killed the old woman? Not that he cared about her in the first place. She was of no consequence to him, though she could have helped them. The only thing he wanted was to reach the angels’ domain and see if they can find anything about Ida’s whereabouts. Hopefully, being on a mission would help take his mind off of Edwin, at least for the time being.

“I know, but we’re almost there. See the lights up ahead,” the demonic spy pointed to the horizon where the first signs of angelic shimmering structures appeared as tiny white lights.

“Right. What’s the plan then? You’ve been here before, so I assume you have one?”

“Do I look like someone who goes in without a plan?” Zelig retorted as he pointed to a tall, twisting hill that stretched to the east. “That big rock formation to the right - we go behind it and continue down that path until we reach the Great Chasm. That’s where the Cultivation Spire is. We’ll have to see how many angels are guarding the place once we get there. I’ve never managed to get inside on my own.”

“That’s why I’m here. Maybe now we’ll get lucky,” the white-haired demon replied, even knowing their chances were slim to none. Getting into the angels’ territory was dangerous enough on its own, but actually sneaking into one of their towers and abducting a person was near impossible.

“We’ll need to be more than lucky,” the other demon said. “Once we’ve examined the area, one of us will have to cause a distraction while the other sneaks in. There’s bound to be many angels there, so be ready to blink out at any time.”

“Got it. So, who’s going to do the distraction? I’m thinking it should be you, since they’ve probably seen you already, so they’ll figure you’re alone again.”

“Why would you think that?” Zelig asked, seemingly offended by the question.

“Because you’ve been coming here before, they must’ve spotted you at some point.”

“Not if I did my job right,” the spy replied, side-eyeing him. “Have you ever seen me sneaking around your home?”

“No, I’ve never… Wait, have you been spying on me too?” Lothar asked, looking questioningly at his companion.

“A few times,” Zelig smirked. “But it was just for sport, not because anyone ordered me to,” he added, leaving the other demon to ponder his words. Before Lothar could ask anything else, he spoke again: “So, how’s Earth been treating you?”

“You know, it’s Earth… It hasn’t changed much since I last visited,” Lothar shrugged. “Why, are you jealous? Haven’t had the chance to go down there lately?”

“No, I’ve been stuck with these blasted angels ever since I caught that general of theirs. They’re so boring and predictable. Humans, on the other hand… They’re worth studying up close,” the blond demon said, a devious smirk appearing on his handsome face. “And they’re always a lot of fun in so many ways, don’t you agree?”

“Depends on what you consider fun,” Lothar said coolly, not wanting to reveal too much. He wouldn’t be surprised if Cromwell had sent them on this mission together to get Zelig to fish out some information about his activities on Earth. Was he suspecting something about his connection to Edwin? In any event, Lothar decided he would have to mind his words in front of Zelig until he knew he could trust him.

Before he even realized it, they had reached the end of the long, twisted hill. Behind it, a tall, brilliant structure towered above them, next to a deep ravine known as the Great Chasm, separating Purgatory from the realm of the angels.

“The Cultivation Spire,” Zelig whispered, hidden behind a tall stone wall.

Lothar stood right next to him, observing the angels milling about the place. They looked so similar to demons, except they all wore ivory-colored robes and moved around by flying or hovering rather than walking. If they carried any weapons, which Lothar assumed they must be, they were well hidden.

He was surprised by their small numbers in the area. Other than a group of four angels who were close to the Spire, the rest had either gone inside or moved further away, going towards the other towers.

“Who knows how many of them are inside,” he commented as his eyes scoured the terrain in front of him.

“We have no way of knowing,” Zelig replied. “That’s why you’ll try to get as many of them as possible away from the tower while I blink inside.”

After going through their plan, Lothar blinked across the chasm and got into position behind a particularly large rock that hid him from view, while Zelig stayed behind, waiting for the perfect moment to blink into the tower. Keeping his eyes on the angels, Lothar made sure he wasn’t hidden too well. After all, he wanted to be noticed; he needed to make it seem as if they had caught him in the act. Sure enough, it was not long after that a pair of angels directed their attention toward him. He was spotted.

Lothar’s heart pounded in his chest, but from adrenaline, not fear. He blinked over behind a nearby rock as the angels flew over to his previous hiding place. He could not make it too easy for them. The two angels rushed ahead, each raising their right hand into the air, glowing swords suddenly appearing out of thin air.

“Be careful, brother,” one of them said, gripping his sword tightly.

“You too,” the other replied as they split, hovering in opposite directions to inspect the area.

Lothar waited patiently behind his hiding place until they were far enough apart, then swiftly blinked behind one of the angels. A ball of flame appeared in his hand, and just as he flung it at his target, the angel turned and slashed through the air with his sword, slicing through the fireball as it vanished.

“Demon!” the angel hissed, his glowing eyes locked onto Lothar’s. “What is your kind doing here?”

“Take a guess,” Lothar stood his ground as the angel hovered a safe distance away, waiting for his companion to arrive. The demon knew he couldn’t allow that, he had to act quickly. Conjuring another fireball, he raised his hand as if ready to throw it. Wasting no time, the angel lunged at him, swinging his sword, but Lothar blinked at the very last second, reappearing behind the angel and flinging the fireball at him, this time hitting him straight in the back. With a piercing scream, the angel burned as the fire consumed him, vanishing in a matter of seconds. All that was left behind him was a shimmering golden mist that rose into the air and flew towards the Spire, where it finally disappeared.

Before he even had the chance to enjoy this small victory, Lothar noticed the other angel approaching, alarmed by his companion’s scream.

“Intruder!” the angel yelled, flying over but keeping a safe distance. “Adriel! You will pay for his death, demon!”

From the corner of his eye, Lothar could see a small group of angels coming out of the tower and heading toward him. Hopefully Zelig would have less trouble now.

“He’s over here!” the angel called out to his brethren, his attention still on Lothar. “Did you think you could get out of here alive, demon?”, he asked, his sword suddenly getting engulfed in holy flames.

His eyes darting between the angel in front of him and the group of five that were arriving, Lothar knew he couldn’t take them all at once - he had to draw them away from the tower. He blinked again, appearing behind a massive rock at the edge of the hill.

“Let’s split,” one of the angels ordered, and they all went in different directions, attempting to surround Lothar.

The demon blinked once again, changing positions. He had to stall as much as he could in order to give Zelig enough time to search as much of the Spire as he could. With a blade in his hand, he stood silently and waited, his back pressed against the cold, naked rock.

Unfortunately for him, the angels seemed to have realized he was more interested in playing hide-and-seek than fighting them, as one of them stopped and called out to the others. “He’s trying to lure us into a trap. Retreat!”

Lothar could not allow that, at least not yet. Coming out of his hiding spot, he revealed himself, conjuring another fireball. “You’re not running away, are you?”

The angel hesitated, clearly torn between turning around and retreating back to the tower, and staying and fighting.

Suddenly, a cry from behind him pierced the air.

“It’s a diversion, get back to the Spire!”

Lothar flung the fireball, but the angel evaded it, taking off into the air and flying back towards the tower, his brethren already on their way too.

“Damn it!” Lothar mumbled. “Come on, Zelig, be quick!”

A ball of fire suddenly shot out of the Spire, incinerating an angel that got in its way. In the confusion, Zelig blinked out of nowhere, slashing two more angels with his blades. Lothar frowned in disappointment as he saw his fellow demon was alone. He clearly did not manage to locate ida, there was simply not enough time.

Two remaining angels rushed over in unison, focused on the demonic spy. Their blades burned with holy fire as they approached Zelig. The angels moved terrifyingly swiftly, avoiding the daggers Zelig threw their way. The air became a whirlwind of fire and steel, as they slashed with their swords, trying to cut the demons down.

Throwing his disappointment and irritation aside, Lothar blinked over to help. One of the angels, a woman with long, black hair, immediately turned to him, swinging her sword.

“Die, maggot!” she yelled as she went on the offense. Lothar’s fireballs never managed to connect, as the angel blocked them all with her sword, gliding through the air with incredible agility.

“Enough of this,” Lothar grunted angrily, conjuring one last fireball. “Say hello to Adriel,” he added, remembering the name he’d heard a little while ago. Just as he thought, the angel was furious. She slashed with her sword to block the fireball, not even noticing the blade that flew out of Lothar’s other hand. As the cold steel sunk into her throat, she burst into flames and vanished.

Moments later, another scream pierced the air as the other angel fell down as well.

“Did you find-” Lothar started to ask, when Zelig’s loud yell interrupted him.

“Behind you!”

Lothar quickly turned around, and the last thing he saw before he blinked away was a devious smile on an angel’s face as he thrust his sword forward.

As soon as he reappeared on the other side of the hill, Lothar crashed to the ground, clutching his stomach. His clothes and hands were stained with blood, while the searing pain in his abdomen was excruciating. It felt like he was being torn apart from the inside, the angelic steel burning his flesh.

“Lothar!” Zelig whispered as he appeared right next to him, his eyes wide with panic. “How bad is it?”

“It... Ughhh, it hurts,” Lothar managed to utter between ragged breaths. “Bloody… angels.”

“Come, we need to get you back home. I’ll blink us out of here, you’re not strong enough,” the other demon offered as he crouched down, grabbing Lothar’s hand and shoulder. Just a moment later, they were gone.

When he finally woke up, it took a while for Lothar to realize where he was. The place didn’t look like his home - it was too big. And it certainly looked nothing like Edwin’s place - it was too dark and sinister compared to the cozy and homely feel of the trinket shop he had come to appreciate in his own way. No, he was in Cromwell’s citadel.

As he tried to get up, the stabbing pain in his lower abdomen reminded him of what had happened and why he was there in the first place. Zelig had brought him there for treatment after… After they failed their mission. It was always going to be a long shot, but Lothar could not help but feel disappointed. They didn’t manage to find Ida or Helga, and he had almost gotten himself killed in the process. But the worst part was - he had failed Edwin. He had to go over there and explain himself, but… He remembered how they left things the last time they saw each other. After that fight, would Edwin even care that Lothar got injured, that he almost died? He shuddered at the thought. Still, he had to go, even if it took all of his strength to blink back to Earth.

Just as he propped himself up on his elbows, trying to get up again, there was a knock on the door. He froze, looking up before replying: “Come in.”

He was hardly surprised when he saw Zelig enter, followed by his friend Nyra.

“See, told ya he was still alive. We can’t get rid of him that easily,” the spy said, grinning as he entered the room. “How you doin’, big boy?”

“I feel like shit,” Lothar grumbled, “but I’ll live.”

“You better,” Nyra said as she approached his bed and sat down on a chair next to it. Even though she tried to play it cool, Lothar could see the fear in her eyes. After losing Adrian in battle, he could not blame her. “Are you in a lot of pain?”

“Only when I… when I try to move,” Lothar replied, coughing as he tried to make himself more comfortable.

“Then don’t move,” Zelig said.

“Wow, thanks, what would we do without you,” Nyra rolled her eyes at the demon.

“Give him a break… He saved my life out there, he can be a smartass if he wants,” Lothar said, cracking a smile.

“Cromwell was a fool to send just the two of you out there,” the female demon spoke again. “You could’ve both gotten yourselves killed.”

“That may be so, but stealth was crucial for the mission. If there’d been more of us, they would’ve spotted us before we even set foot onto their grounds,” Zelig replied.

“Did you… did you manage to find anything in the tower? Any sign of Ida or Helga?” Lothar asked.

“No, nothing, but I didn’t manage to search much before we got busted.”

“This was probably our best chance,” Lothar replied glumly. “Next time they’ll be even better prepared.”

“There won’t be a next time. As you said, they’ll be expecting us now,” Zelig said. “We need to find out how the angels got to them in the first place, who summoned them to Earth.”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to do. I’ll let you know as soon as I got any clues,” Lothar told him.

“But first you need to recover,” Nyra quickly interjected. “The healers did a good job on you, but you still need to take it easy, alright?”

“Fine, mother,” Lothar rolled his eyes at her.

“Do you want me to bring her here? Because I will, I know where she lives,” she threatened. “And then you won’t get out of that bed for weeks.”

“Fuck no!” the white-haired demon was quick to shoot her down. “I don’t need her when I have my best friend taking such good care of me.”

“Yeah, yeah, as if that’ll work on me,” Nyra let out a chuckle.

“You guys are going to make me puke,” Zelig said, getting up and straightening his clothes. “I’ll be back to check on you later. Take it easy, alright?” Without waiting for a response, he winked at Lothar and blinked out of the room, leaving the two friends alone.

Nyra wasted no time in moving to sit on the edge of Lothar’s bed, taking his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. “Now tell me for real, how are you feeling?”

“I told you, I’m fine. It still hurts when I try to move, but it’ll pass.”

“When Zelig showed up carrying you, for a moment I thought…”

“Hey, I’m still here,” Lothar squeezed her hand, his eyes gazing into hers. He knew exactly what she was thinking. The death of their friend Adrian at the hands of angels still hurt no matter how much they avoided talking about it. It had been seven years, but the wound was still fresh as if it happened yesterday. Neither of them wanted to be the first to mention it, and this time was no different. “I’ll be fine,” Lothar added, nodding.

“This whole mission… Even if you don’t succeed, it doesn’t matter, alright? It’s not worth risking your life trying to capture a bloody angel or find some dumb human girl,” Nyra said. “Just… promise me you won’t do anything stupid.”

“Look who’s talking. Didn’t you tell me the other day you couldn’t wait to go out there and fight again?”

“Yeah, well… I say a lot of dumb stuff.”

“You can say that again,” Lothar chuckled.

“Just promise me, ok?”

“Fine, I promise I won’t do anything stupid,” Lothar replied. Of course, helping Edwin in any way he could was the furthest thing from stupid he could ever imagine.