Knights of Enmity: The Barons Have Fallen (Descending Fires Book 1) Read online

  Knights

  of

  Enmity

  The Barons Have Fallen

  Sédrie Danielle

  Book 1

  Knights of Enmity

  ©2017 Sédrie Danielle

  All rights reserved.

  PUBLISHER’S NOTE:

  This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork is prohibited without the expressed written consent of the author. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher at:

  [email protected]

  Gorgon Publications

  www.driesworld.com

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events are the products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Danielle, Sédrie

  Edition: one

  ISBN- 978-1542429573

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  First and foremost, I thank God for giving me the vision and power to write this novel. None of this would be possible otherwise. I have to also thank Nette & Chris, as well as others who have helped along the way with donations of food, free internet, a washing machine, moral support and a shoulder to cry on as I suffered through this. I am eternally grateful. Thank you Mom and Pop for EVERYTHING including paying my light bill because I could not write (on a laptop) without electricity. Thank you ACE for being the first in the family to purchase my book. That means so much to me! Thank you to all of my friends and other family members who love and support me and my work.

  ~Thank You~

  CONTENTS

  The Seals of the Great Orders

  Chapter 1

  The Baron

  Chapter 2

  Cesare & Mila

  Chapter 3

  The Pious Order of Dactyls

  Chapter 4

  The Round Table

  Chapter 5

  The Order of the Blue Goddess

  Chapter 6

  Masaka, The Girly Man

  Chapter 7

  Into the Catacombs

  Chapter 8

  D’Artagnan & Josie

  Chapter 9

  Baby Dies and Hercules Takes a Bullet

  Chapter 10

  Vincenzo Borgia

  Chapter 11

  The Black & Blue Ball

  Chapter 12

  The Prophet’s Unreasonable Request

  Chapter 13

  Dante Ascends

  Chapter 14

  The Feast from Hell Heaven

  Chapter 15

  Baron Kriminel

  Chapter 16

  The Obelisk of the West

  Chapter 17

  Dante Slays the Hot Wing

  Chapter 18

  Deucalion’s Fountain

  Chapter 19

  Failure

  Chapter 20

  The Last Sacrifice

  Chapter 21

  The Blue Goddess

  Chapter 22

  The Mockery

  Chapter 23

  Callan Meets the Knights

  Chapter 24

  The Crone

  Chapter 25

  Consequences

  Chapter 26

  The Praying Husband

  Chapter 27

  Hail! Cornelius Agrippa

  Chapter 28

  Rufus Sosius, the Elder

  Chapter 29

  Adonis & Bibi

  Chapter 30

  Cardinal Cesare Borgia

  Chapter 31

  Soul Reaping

  Chapter 32

  The Barons Have Fallen

  Index

  Author

  List of Characters

  1

  The Baron

  Baron Samedi sat in silence smoking a cigar as his senses detected the coming of an irritant. His left eye twitched as he tapped the arm of his iron throne waiting for the confirmation of his divine intuition. Around him, large glowing orbs displaying the activities of the lower worlds floated about the dark room as he monitored closely for any and all unusual happenings.

  The magicians or Hidden Ones as they are called in the realm Malkuth, often found themselves delving into the darkness with their magic, unleashing things they had no business. As protectors of Malkuth and rulers of the dead realms, the Barons often had to reverse those mistakes for the sake of maintaining celestial balance.

  Samedi grit his teeth, running his fingers across a scar on his face remembering the dirty deeds of the Gentlemen of the Haze which left it. The present moment felt like the day that unanticipated doom fell upon him and his Barons, making him determined to keep history from repeating itself.

  He motioned for a small orb in the back of the room to float forward as it began to emit a bright red light. Angels, he thought to himself, looking up towards the large, vaulted ceiling. The spirits above floated about in complete disarray. Their weeping and wails were being drowned by the sound of thunder.

  The dark firmaments of his realm began to fill with white light and silver streaks of lightening. The black, heavy clouds floating in the skies filled with the tears of the dead, began erupting upon the blades of black grass outside of his home, Castle Guédé.

  Inside, the smell of his sweet cigar offerings filled the halls as he drank peppered rum from his iron goblet; attempting to listen to the prayers of those seeking his guidance. The flashes of lightening intensified as it danced across the skies, irritating his eyes, interrupting his meditations.

  “God damn angels!” he shouted, reaching into the inner pocket of his violet vest for his shades, having but one darkened lens. The thunder became louder and more frequent causing the chains around his iron throne to rattle. He stood up. The long, black coat of his suit fell past his leather boots; swishing across the stone floor as he stomped towards the entrance of his castle.

  Samedi stood quiet listening to the pounding above his head. His handsome face, now having upon it a grimace, hardened into that of a warrior.

  “Barons! Do you not hear this god damned raucous?!” he yelled, his voice sending a shock-wave throughout his realm. Baron Cimitiére, a good looking man whose skin was a smooth shade of caramel, was the first to appear before him.

  Wearing a double knotted purple tie stuffed in the jacket of his tan suit, he held a large sickle in his left hand. His neatly trimmed goatee and side burns were complimentary to the deep dimples in his cheeks that were accentuated as he smiled at the pissed off Samedi.

  Baron Cimitiére was slightly shorter than the taller, leaner, Samedi and wore a much shorter top hat and coat. He bowed respectfully and looked towards the sky as the lightening intensified.

  “The barrier appears to be holding.”

  “That's not the problem. Its pissing me off and I wish it to stop!” Samedi yelled.

  Baron Piquant appeared, bowing as well. Piquant was the shortest of the Barons, standing and even five feet. His bald head was covered with a rounded top hat shorter than that of Cimitiére and the tail of his jacket stopped right at the heel of his boots. He was the color of a tootsie roll; his favorite offering left by the sheeple who prayed to him. His face was that of an older man, and his demeanor was often playful
. Piquant adjusted his glasses and looked up as he leaned on his owl cane.

  “La Croix!” Samedi shouted, as a tall man in a white suit and top hat appeared.

  “What in the hell do you want me to do?” he asked.

  “I want you to bring those sons of bitches down here so I can tell them to kiss my ass! Personally!” Samedi roared.

  Baron La Croix slammed his cross staff against the ground and the sky opened up. Angels by the hundreds began to fall one by one landing upon the black grasses of Purgatorio, the middle world.

  “Who the hell ordered the light show?” Samedi asked, taking a puff from his cigar.

  “I am Jophiel. Chief of the Heavenly order of Thrones. We seek entry into the lower world, Malkuth.”

  “For what reason?” Samedi asked.

  “We owe you no explanation. You are a lower realm being and a traitor to the Heavenly Hosts. We have our duty, and it shall be done,” Jophiel said sternly.

  Baron Samedi burst into laughter. “You come banging on my fucking door, lighting my sky like the red light district, and you have the audacity to think you could just run through my house without explanation?” Samedi asked, but Jophiel stood unintimidated.

  “The will of the Demiurge will be done. The time of the Fourth Reckoning has begun. The Order of Thrones shall bring judgment upon humanity and cleanse the Earth of all those who do not bow to the will of the Demiurge.”

  “We are the Royal House of Guédé! We pray to no God because here, we are the gods. Your war with the humans has no bearing on us. We could give two shits about your war or your Demiurge. As for passage to Malkuth, denied. We are the protectors of that realm, and you angels are no friends to me,” Samedi said.

  “You Barons are no better than humans. You protect them, yet they hold one of your own in the same prison which they hold Gabriel. We cannot understand such logic. Join with us, to be rid of humanity. Order must be re-established,” Jophiel said.

  La Croix started to clap. “You have no friends here Angel. Your best bet is to leave before I feel like burning something,” he said in his low, raspy voice.

  “You cannot burn that which was forged in fire,” Jophiel retorted, hitting La Croix with his angel blade.

  Baron Samedi put his hand on his hip and looked back at the tumbling La Croix in disbelief. “Ain’t this some shit? You raise your hand to the Royal House of Guédé?!” he shouted, giving the Barons the go to defend.

  The angels began to attack the Barons while Samedi continued to curse and smoke his cigar. La Croix caught his bearings and set his eyes upon Jophiel. He ran across the field, his staff in hand and began impaling any angel who stood in his path. Cimitiére summoned his army of the dead and the battle began.

  “How dare you come kick my door down and command me! I am Samedi!” he shouted, as he and his Barons slayed the angels.

  Soon after the skirmish began, Jophiel quickly called for a retreat. Those that could escape, flew towards the opening that was quickly closing at Samedi’s command.

  La Croix’s anger had reached a boiling point and he began crucifying the angels that could not escape one by one.

  “Come into my fucking house!” Samedi continued to fuss.

  “Samedi, he was right about one thing,” Baron Cimitiére said.

  Samedi turned to him, raising an eyebrow.

  “Kriminel. We need to retrieve him.”

  “Hell yeah we do. It’s time for that boy to come home. He’s been in that prison for way too long.”

  La Croix paid the conversation no mind as he took pleasure in torturing the angels; a small price to pay for attacking a Baron.

  “La Croix! Cut that shit out and get your ass over here. Family meeting,” Samedi ordered, stomping back into the castle.

  The moans and groans of the crucified angels outside of the castle walls caused the Barons to laugh uncontrollably. Samedi found no humor in the attack as for him, war was on the horizon.

  “This shit ain’t funny boys. When the pigeons start scratching at the door and leaving feathers on our lawn it is far from funny.” The Barons changed their demeanor at Samedi’s words knowing they were true.

  “If the angels are trying to descend, then ten life cycles have passed. They have every intention on destroying what stands and rebuilding a new world as they believe that the humans are a stain upon the universe. What they have not anticipated is the fact that these humans have mastered those skills which we and the Grigori have taught. The Hidden will fight until no angel remains.” Cimitiére said in his slow, articulate voice.

  “Aye. But we know angels are not the worst of it. Nicky and his Gentlemen dived deep into the recesses of creation with their science; awakening something much older than us. Now we know that there is a bigger threat to our existence than Angels. Thrones are not the worst of them. The Seraphim destroy every realm they descend to. If the Thrones fail, and they will, Heaven will send its flaming angel Michael,” La Croix added.

  “But if the angels are allowed to pass, and they fulfill the prophecy of Revelation, we Barons will lose power. It is the spirits and prayers of our devotees which make us. It could be our undoing,” Piquant said.

  “If war has come to the Royal House of Guédé, we will need all of the Barons to defend our realm. Kriminel must be released,” La Croix said.

  Samedi looked down at his pocket watch which did indeed indicate it was time for the Fourth Reckoning to begin. Unlike those prior which he bore witness to, the vibration of the coming times felt different.

  “Nicky!” Samedi yelled, with his deep, booming voice. A man wearing a top hat, much like that of the Barons, and a striped vest appeared before the throne of Samedi. His face was wrapped in bandages, emitting a white steam with each exhalation of breath; his gloves bearing the fleur-de-lis of the Barons.

  “Yes my lord,” he said bowing.

  “What do you know of the prison which holds Baron Kriminel?”

  “The seven prisons are located in realms much like your own. They lie between the mundane and the spirit realm; just a hair strand away from the realm of the ancient ones. The locks are maintained by the Alchemists of Ordo Magnum Opus and protected by the Black Knights of the Order of Magia Chaotica. But there are seven prisons, and I am not certain which one Baron Kriminel is imprisoned in,” Nicky said in his heavy, Slavic accent.

  “Alchemist you say?”

  “Yes, my lord. Solon is the current Grand Alchemist. He holds the keys,” Nicky answered.

  “And the Cronus Chamber? Do any of the Orders of Man know of it? Is it ready?” Samedi asked.

  “It is ready my Lord. As you know we Gentlemen always work in secrecy as we are still paying our penances set forth by the Council of Nine, but after the events of 1899 I am hesitant on --”

  Samedi lifted his hand causing Nicky to fall silent. “You will not use the Cronus Chamber. Heaven’s reach is too far and must be bound. But perhaps I would do us all a favor and merge the realms. Then there would be no war. The angels think in binary, light and dark. If we merge, the light and dark will be one in the same,” Samedi said.

  “My lord, if the realms are merged it will be total --”

  “Anarchy. Yes, indeed,” Samedi said smiling.

  “But, putting us on a level playing field with the Hidden Ones may also be our undoing,” Baron Cimitiére added.

  “I'm not saying I will use it, but I can if things go south for us. Right now our objective is to retrieve Kriminel. We're going to need that fat bastard to make supper of our enemies. Nicky, that is all,” Samedi said waving him away.

  Nicky disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving the Barons to their thoughts. Baron Cimitiére turned to Samedi with a confused look on his face.

  “What?!”

  “What do you really intend on doing with the Cronus Chamber?” he asked.

  Samedi laughed as he lit a cigar.

  “Well it’s simple. We, with all our power cannot kill angels. Do you know why?” he asked blowing a
thick cloud of smoke towards Baron Cimitiére. “We the Royal House of Guédé cannot kill angels on this plane. Ghost here was the first to learn that we, like the humans, are boundless on Malkuth. He and his prized student Cesare learned that Guédé can kill angels there,” Samedi said.

  “Is this so?” Baron Cimitiére turned to La Croix who nodded.

  “But as we use our powers on Malkuth, our vessels --”

  “Weaken. Even if we take the possession of another, there is a time limitation we still must abide by,” Samedi interjected.

  “That is what I intend on doing with the Cronus Chamber. I will allow the Thrones to pass once the Chamber has been set up. If we kill them there, no future threat will be placed upon the destruction of our realm,” Samedi said.

  “How will this destroy our realm?” Piquant asked.

  “Must I do all the thinking!? Look out there. Our fields are plowed by the hands of the dead. The sheeple pray to us, honor us and their sacrifices give us power. If there are no humans for us to oversee, then we will no longer have a purpose. For now, acquiring Kriminel is task one. I have something Solon wants, and I will make him believe that I still have it. La Croix, make sure the Magia don’t get in the way of this. I don’t have time for that shit. In fact, why not give Cesare a visit. He has filled our lands with the souls of many. We will need to strengthen our numbers with unholy sacrifices. Build our armies with the souls of man before Heaven gets their hands on them. See to it,” Samedi ordered as the chains of his throne rattled once again. The Barons looked around but could see nor feel the presence of anything odd. Samedi lowered his eyes as he alone witnessed a single bright light piercing through the Veil of Purgatorio.