Darksiders: Light In Darkness (Fourth Book)

Chapter 6: Shadow In The Secret

War had wanted to speak to his eldest brother as Death walked out of Damiana's room, carrying her body to the back of their abode. A girl was with him, but the eldest horseman didn't even remotely care. He didn't even care to look and observe her face more to see who it was. He had decided what to do with Damiana's body and he was going to do it now, with or without his brothers.
      The late-fifth horseman's red wool cape swirled around Death's feet, looking as if tendrils were trying to pull his boots back. When Death passed Fury, who slowly woke up from her slumber, the female horseman jumped up and glared at Death.
"What the hell are you doing??" Fury called out to Death.
"She's alive, god damn you!" Fury snarled, jumping after Death when he didn't acknowledge her.
"Go back inside-"
"No! She's alive she just spoke to me a few seconds ago!" Fury hissed, grabbing at Death's arm.
    Death paid no heed to Fury's frenzied attacks and continued walking outside.
    While Fury screamed and begged for her brother to stop and listen to Damiana's still heart, Death scanned around the wide pasture like backyard of the Horsemen Manor.
"Fury, I'm sorry, but can you SHUT the fuck up and let me concentrate?" Death said in an oddly calm deposition.
"Ah...over there." Death's sharp, but weary eyes rested on a particular tree.
"I want a scythe too, like you!" Death saw the young Damiana skip towards another figure.
"You need to be skilled." Death saw his past self mutter to Damiana.
"I'll show you! Fight me, c'mon."
"You certainly do have determination." Death felt his mouth twitch to a smile as he saw his past self gently pat the anti-Christ's hair.
"Go get the shovel, now, we need to finish this now." Death called over his shoulder to Fury.
                   **************
"So...your name is Glory, huh? Why didn't you tell me??" Damiana leaned forward in the saddle and patted her mare's neck.
"You wouldn't have understood...besides, I forgot..." Glory said quietly, charging through the shadow realm.
   Damiana went off to say something but quickly doubled over in pain. She looked down at her oceanic blue skin.
"You're fading. We need to hurry." Glory's soft feminine voice echoed through Damiana's head.
"I want to know why you looked the way you did...and how did you-"
"My name is Glory. I was sent down here by our Creator to see if any of the creations are worthy enough to be deemed the top creation. This was eons before your...family. I trusted many people and they...weren't too nice to put it into nice terms."
"But-"
"And then there's your little friends and their sorry excuse for horses." Glory went on and on, lowering her head in absolute anguish.
"What's wrong with them?!?"
"They've killed thousands just for power, forsook their own kind for what, POWER! I'm surprised they even wanted any part of you-"
"Glory! That was...in the past-"
"Clearly, they didn't go too far into what they did to others or else you wouldn't be so defensive!"
Damiana went silent and angrily thought about her mare's claim. Sure the horsemen killed their kin....but they  had a good reason; The Council told them to!
'But even they are questionable...hm.'
"We're nearing your body position..."
         ********************
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE MAKER WASN'T THERE?!" Lucifer grabbed Shadow by the scruff of her neck and shook her to and fro.
"I mean she's not there, master!"
"My prince, please put the hellhound down, she's my servant. My most valued assassin." Lilith smiled warmly, grabbing Lucifer's arm tenderly.
Lucifer snarled and flung the hellhound to the side, glaring as the canine assassin's body hit the ground. The twisted construct made of the parts of Janelle, Damiana's sister, and Zareal whimpered and scampered over to the fallen Hellhound.
"YOU. YOU stay right there!" Lucifer growled, stopping the construct dead in it's tracks.
Making another whimpering noise through its jagged teeth, The construct took a small step forward.
"Stand down, Jareal." Shadow whispered towards the construct.
Jareal did as it was told and took a few steps back, still glaring at its true creator.
"I want you to find the Raviim Half blood and make it snappy! The blood moon is coming upon us soon."
"What about the whores of the sky, then Angels?" Shadow replied, remembering the Hellguard and how much of a dent they put into Hell's army.
"Oh, I think I may have an idea, father." Demetrix stepped up, smiling devilishly to himself.
"Oh?" Shadow limped over to Demetrix, sizing the demon general in obvious dislike.
"The damned angel's wings aren't used to the cold, ice really. Their feathers will freeze and they will fall to their deaths...maybe I should pay them a visit, no?" Demetrix grinned, eager to prove himself.
"Of course...put the attacks back a few weeks, Genius." Lucifer smirked, turns away from Shadow.
"In the meantime, I'll find Dante and tell him to continue looking for the Raviim,"
                  *************
"It's good to see you again, brother." Misery smiled widely, reaching out to gently touch Death's arm.
"Is this some kind of sick joke, Strife?" Death hissed, swatting Misery's hand away.
"You're not worth a joke of this caliber." Strife said curtly, giving Death a blank expression.
"It is not a joke, brother!" Misery proclaimed, stomping her foot.
   Fury and War looked at both Death and Misery and slowly back over at Strife.
"Do you have any idea what is happening?" War asked Fury.
"I have no idea." Fury whispered back.
     When a quick rap at the door broke the awkward silence, the two siblings practically trampled each other to get there, eager to leave the tense room.
"Get out of the way!" Fury shoved War out of the way, sticking her tongue out at him.
  Before she could put her hand on the door, Dante kicked down the iron door with his foot, slamming the horsewoman into the wall with it.
"Horsemen! I require your assistance!" Dante called, pushing past War.
Ilyea followed close behind and gave a few nervous smirks at Fury and War.
"Oh great. Are we going to be attacked now?" Death muttered, glancing back at Dante.
"No, but-"
"I do not want to hear it."
        ***********************
   Looking down at her grave, Damiana shuddered and looked up at Glory, who stared back at her in a placid manner.
"Go on."
"They...BURIED ME??" Damiana shuddered again, looking back down at the covered grave.
"Is there a problem?"
"I hate dirt-"
"Just get in the grave, retrieve your body, and hurry up before Lucifer leaves hell." Glory muttered.
   Damiana shivered and lowered herself into the ground.
    For a few minutes, Glory stood and waited for the antichrist to comeback to life. Gradually, a hand pushed up through the dirt and grass, grasping for something to grab onto. Pushing her other hand up, Damiana clawed her way out of the ground and pulled herself on to the grass, gasping as actual air filled her once dead lungs.
   Flipping onto her back, Damiana felt the stitches from her last time she was alive.
"Damn..." She mumbled, smiling up at Glory.