Asius, Lyam, and Vyns went down the stairs as fast as they could.

  “We’ll check the floor below and then we’ll start climbing,” the Counselor directed.

  “Why not go from top to bottom?” asked Vyns.

  “It looks like the upper floors haven’t been used,” he answered, taking the steps four at a time with the help of his wings. Lyam had trouble following his pace since his wings were smaller, even for a Healer. “We’ll try downstairs. Besides, the dark color of those dogs makes me think our enemy prefers to avoid the light.”

  They ran down the stairs all the way to the basement. It was total blackness. Lyam and Vyns took out their swords to light their way, and the glow of the flames dispelled the darkness around them. Their eyes slowly began to adjust to the darkness as they walked up the hallway.

  “Well, this definitely is the place to be if they want to avoid light,” commented Vyns.

  “I hope Yala and Zaedon are all right,” said Lyam, his voice revealing his concern.

  “They’re probably doing better than we are, believe me,” Asius assured him. “Yala is the best. So let’s just hurry and find Diago so we can get back to them as soon as possible.”

  They found several empty rooms as they walked, but they barely stopped to check them. As soon as they saw Diago was not inside, they hurried on. Their eyes continued to capture more and more details in the darkness. The basement was not abandoned as the first floors they’d checked had been, but it wasn’t exactly well-cared for, either. What Asius found quite disconcerting was that there was not a single lamp or light of any kind, or even any light switches on the walls. He had no doubt the demons felt more comfortable in the darkness. It was yet another of the many differences between them he was discovering. The only impression he’d ever had of them was the one he’d had at the end of the War so many millennia ago when he’d seen them for the last time. Back then, nothing would have suggested their apparent inclination toward darkness. The vast majority of them had never left the Nest, and the concept of darkness did not exist there.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Forgetting about taking any kind of precautions, the group moved continually faster. It made no sense to try to hide their presence, since they’d already been detected. They knocked down doors without hesitation. A good kick or a blow with a sword and they could quickly go into the next room. The only thing that mattered was finding Diago before the demons returned.

  “Any idea what those creatures were that attacked us upstairs?’ asked Vyns as they searched from room to room.

  “I really don’t know,” admitted Asius. “I’ve been thinking about that. They’re not from this plane, though, I’m sure of that. There’s only one place I can think of they could come from.”

  “Hell,” stated Vyns, following Asius’s train of thought. “Damn it! It looks like they’ve acquired some new friends.”

  Asius spread his wings and lifted one, motioning for them to stop.

  His wings were enormous and their feathers were extremely thick and coarse, a reminder of his former position as a Guardian before he was promoted to Counselor. Guardians always kept their wings unfolded, mostly because they were covered with a protective shield which would fall to the ground if the wings were tucked away behind their backs. Asius had spent decades getting used to hiding his wings when Council was in session.

  He signaled for them to move forward. A faint light filtered through the cracks of a door some thirty feet from where they were. He took out his sword. The hilt was like the other angels’ hilts, but its blade was distinctly different. It was a shade of blue that did not exist on the mortals’ plane, and was covered in frost instead of the usual orange flames. It emitted a whitish light, spotted with bluish glimmers that reflected off his face and gave him a ghostly appearance.

  They broke down the door and went into the dimly lit room. Two chains, at the end of which were two rusty meat hooks, were hanging from the ceiling. The hooks pierced Diago’s wings, keeping him suspended in the air. Underneath him was a rather large puddle of blood. The angel’s body rocked gently back and forth.

  “Diago!” Asius went to his friend. “Help me get him down, Vyns. Lyam, get ready.”

  “Is he alive?” asked Vyns as he jumped up and cleanly cut the chains with his sword.

  “Barely,” answered the Counselor as he lifted Diago down, his voice giving away his trepidation. “I’ll get you out of here, my friend. Just hang on a while longer.”

  Lyam reached out his arm and his hand began to glow.

  Something moved quickly among the shadows, taking the three angels by surprise as their sole focus was on Diago. He came up behind Lyam and struck him in the back. The small Healer fell to the floor, unconscious.

  Asius saw a demon smiling defiantly before him. He had one foot on Lyam’s body.

  “I don’t believe you’ll be taking Diago anywhere,” came a voice from behind him.