Sins of Angels (The Complete Collection) Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Author's Note

  Echoes of Angels

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Shadows of Angels

  Chapter Fifty

  Chapter Fifty-One

  Chapter Fifty-Two

  Chapter Fifty-Three

  Chapter Fifty-Four

  Chapter Fifty-Five

  Chapter Fifty-Six

  Chapter Fifty-Seven

  Chapter Fifty-Eight

  Chapter Fifty-Nine

  Chapter Sixty

  Chapter Sixty-One

  Chapter Sixty-Two

  Chapter Sixty-Three

  Chapter Sixty-Four

  Chapter Sixty-Five

  Chapter Sixty-Six

  Chapter Sixty-Seven

  Chapter Sixty-Eight

  Chapter Sixty-Nine

  Chapter Seventy

  Chapter Seventy-One

  Chapter Seventy-Two

  Chapter Seventy-Three

  Chapter Seventy-Four

  Chapter Seventy-Five

  Chapter Seventy-Six

  Chapter Seventy-Seven

  Chapter Seventy-Eight

  Chapter Seventy-Nine

  Chapter Eighty

  Chapter Eighty-One

  Chapter Eighty-Two

  Chapter Eighty-Three

  Chapter Eighty-Four

  Chapter Eighty-Five

  Chapter Eighty-Six

  Chapter Eighty-Seven

  Chapter Eighty-Eight

  Chapter Eighty-Nine

  Chapter Ninety

  Chapter Ninety-One

  Chapter Ninety-Two

  Chapter Ninety-Three

  Chapter Ninety-Four

  Chapter Ninety-Five

  Wrath of Angels

  Chapter Ninety-Six

  Chapter Ninety-Seven

  Chapter Ninety-Eight

  Chapter Ninety-Nine

  Chapter One Hundred

  Chapter One Hundred One

  Chapter One Hundred Two

  Chapter One Hundred Three

  Chapter One Hundred Four

  Chapter One Hundred Five

  Chapter One Hundred Six

  Chapter One Hundred Seven

  Chapter One Hundred Eight

  Chapter One Hundred Nine

  Chapter One Hundred Ten

  Chapter One Hundred Eleven

  Chapter One Hundred Twelve

  Chapter One Hundred Thirteen

  Chapter One Hundred Fourteen

  Chapter One Hundred Fifteen

  Chapter One Hundred Sixteen

  Chapter One Hundred Seventeen

  Chapter One Hundred Eighteen

  Chapter One Hundred Nineteen

  Chapter One Hundred Twenty

  Chapter One Hundred Twenty-One

  Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Two

  Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Three

  Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Four

  Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Five

  Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Six

  Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Seven

  Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Eight

  Chapter One Hundred Twenty-Nine

  Chapter One Hundred Thirty

  Chapter One Hundred Thirty-One

  Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Two

  Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Three

  Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Four

  Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Five

  Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Six

  Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Seven

  Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Eight

  Fall of Angels

  Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Nine

  Chapter One Hundred Forty

  Chapter One Hundred Forty-One

  Chapter One Hundred Forty-Two

  Chapter One Hundred Forty-Three

  Chapter One Hundred Forty-Four

  Chapter One Hundred Forty-Five

  Chapter One Hundred Forty-Six

  Chapter One Hundred Forty-Seven

  Chapter One Hundred Forty-Eight

  Chapter One Hundred Forty-Nine

  Chapter One Hundred Fifty

  Chapter One Hundred Fifty-One

  Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Two

  Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Three

  Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Four

  Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Five

  Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Six

  Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Seven

  Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Eight

  Chapter One Hundred Fifty-Nine

  Chapter One Hundred Sixty

  Chapter One Hundred Sixty-One

  Chapter One Hundred Sixty-Two

  Chapter One Hundred Sixty-Three

  Chapter One Hundred Sixty-Four

  Chapter One Hundred Sixty-Five

  Chapter One Hundred Sixty-Six

  Chapter One Hundred Sixty-Seven

  Chapter One Hundred Sixty-Eight

  Chapter One Hundred Sixty-Nine

  Chapter One Hundred Seventy

  Chapter One Hundred Seventy-One

  Chapter One Hundred Seventy-Two

  Chapter One Hundred Seventy-Three

  Chapter One Hundred Seventy-Four

  Chapter One Hundred Seventy-Five

  Chapter One Hundred Seventy-Six

  Chapter One Hundred Seventy-Seven

  Chapter One Hundred Seventy-Eight

  Chapter One Hundred Seventy-Nine

  Chapter One Hundred Eighty

  Chapter One Hundred Eighty-One

  Chapter One Hundred Eighty-Two

  Chapter One Hundred Eighty-Three

  Chapter One Hundred Eighty-Four

  Chapter One Hundred Eighty-Five

  Chapter One Hundred Eighty-Six

  Keep Reading

  About the Author

  SINS OF ANGELS (THE COMPLETE COLLECTION)

  Books 1-4

  MATT LARKIN

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, businesses, places, events and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual per
sons, living or dead, or actual events is entirely coincidental.

  SINS OF ANGELS (THE COMPLETE COLLECTION)

  Copyright © 2014 Matt Larkin

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Edited by Brenda Pierson

  Covers by Juhi Larkin

  Published by Incandescent Phoenix Books

  incandescentphoenix.com

  mattlarkin.net

  Echoes of Angels, For Brian, for making sure a fantasy geek was also a sci-fi geek.

  Shadows of Angels, For Christine. You are missed.

  Wrath of Angels, For Ginny, because you rock.

  Fall of Angels, For Matt. Having a friend who believes in you makes a world of difference.

  This volume collects the entirety of the Sins of Angels series. These books take place approximately 3200 years in the future, 3100 years after the coming of an alien threat called the Adversary. Angels arrived to save mankind, but Earth became a wasteland.

  Writing sci-fi instead of fantasy has been a real learning experience for me, and a bit of a treat. I truly hope you enjoy this journey as much as I have. And I look forward to hearing from readers with their thoughts on favorite characters.

  CHAPTER ONE

  September 21st, 3096 EY, the journal of Rachel Jordan:

  I’m keeping this journal as scientific record of what I believe will be the most important discovery since the Exodus from Eden, more than 3000 years ago. I have arrived on planet Gehenna in pursuit of a lead pertaining to the Sefer Raziel. This unlikely world with no strategic value may well become the site of the transformation of mankind.

  Gehenna stank. The breather Rachel suctioned over her face allowed her to survive the planet’s sulfuric vapors and toxic atmosphere, but it didn’t quite cut out the smell—a blend of rotten eggs and a chemistry lab.

  She cast a glance over her shoulder and quickened her steps down the road. Maybe there was no one back there, but she couldn’t be too careful. Every time she stepped outside, there was the chance they would find her.

  Still, she had to eat, and there was no way she was taking another meal in that hotel. No matter the situation one found oneself in, one had to live. Even on a planet with a red, ash-filled sky.

  The Babel Bazaar was famous, or perhaps infamous, as an underground hangout for all walks of life. The entrance, just ahead, looked like a many tiered spire. It might have seemed tall, if not for the buildings around it. The soot-colored skyscrapers rimming the street stretched a hundred or more stories up, shadowing the already dark streets of Beeroth.

  Rachel slapped the buzzer and the airlock slid open. A moment after she stepped through, the outer door resealed itself and a wave of pressurized air washed over her. She waited a few breaths before releasing the suction on her breather. A few minutes of Gehennan air probably wouldn’t kill her, but why take the chance?

  The inner door slid open and she was struck by a barrage of noise, sights, and smells. Just down the stairs, people hawked wares in crowded aisles, cafes offered everything from coffees and liquors to full meals, and nearly nude prostitutes beckoned men and women alike. Rachel shook her head, smirking. Her father would have a conniption if he saw this place. A ‘den of sin’, he’d call it.

  The airlock opened again behind her. Rachel stepped back against the wall, hand on the MAG strapped to her thigh. A couple, probably around her own thirty years, strolled in and almost immediately followed one of the prostitutes behind a closed door.

  She had to get a grip. The Redeemers might have followed her to this planet. Maybe. But they weren’t here right now. The people walking behind her weren’t Redeemers. The thought of Redeemers searching this place almost—almost—made her smile. Speaking of people who would lose their shit in the Babel Bazaar. But such mirth was short lived. If they found her, she’d wish she were dead.

  Rachel waded into the crowd, keeping toward the center of the aisle until she spotted a sign for “Gourmet Triangulum Food”. Perfect.

  Gehenna wasn’t part of the Mizraim Empire, so maybe she could actually find some decent Asheran food here. Not that foreign food was illegal in Mizraim, it was just so hard to come by. She slipped inside the restaurant. The owner probably intended the dim lights to be relaxing, but since he had no music playing and they were already underground, it seemed more oppressive to Rachel than anything. But she was here, so she sat at a table in the back, one where she could watch the door.

  A digital display lit up on the tabletop as soon as she sat. Funny, on such a backwater planet, she’d almost expected a human to come take her order. Some of the places she went for archaeological digs still did that. She swiped through the pages and tapped on Asheran hot noodles. Something spicy would do nicely.

  Ten minutes later, a girl dropped a plate of steaming noodles on the table. “Need anything else?”

  Rachel needed a lot of things right now. “I’m looking for some information.”

  The girl leaned in, looking Rachel right in the eye, but said nothing. Emotions roiled just behind the girl’s eyes. Greed, opportunity, an edge of fear covered with bravado. Rachel wasn’t much of a Psych, really, but she was a strong enough empath to get an idea when people were focused on her. And this girl saw a mark.

  Rachel smirked and slipped the waitress a kesitah. She’d imprinted dozens of the local currency chips with small bribes for these situations. Kesitahs came cheap compared to Mizraim credits anyway. Her server pressed her thumb to the metal to check its value, then smiled like a kid with her first set of holo glasses. “Talk to Ariel, down on the second sub-level. Tell her Judy sent you.” With that, the girl spun and walked away.

  Rachel tapped the water dispenser on the table and filled her glass, then sampled the hot noodles. The startling sensation of cayenne, citrus, and Triangulum bubble sauce washed over her tongue. Yeah, she’d missed this food. Yet another thing her family would likely rake her over the coals for, if they knew.

  Dear old Dad called the entire Asheran Confederacy khapiru, and said they were headed straight to hell. Of course, when people talked about hell, they probably had Gehenna in mind. In the Days of Glory the planet had been a penal colony for those foolish enough to anger the Angels. In the six hundred years since the Vanishing, the world had become an independent entity. Independent because neither the Mizraim Empire nor the Asheran Confederacy would take in a toxic hellhole on the edge of the Expanse of Nod.

  When she’d arrived here a few days back, Rachel had found one of the least-crowded spaceports she’d ever seen. No one in their right mind came here. Which probably meant she was a bit off rotation, too. But if the Sefer was really here… well, she’d travel to hell and back to find it.

  After finishing her noodles, she left the restaurant, her fingers brushing over her MAG as she returned to the breezeway. Couldn’t be too careful. She watched the people as she headed toward the stairs to the lower level.

  A pair of soldiers in feature-concealing body armor strolled by, and the crowd parted around them like a river flowing around rocks. Their armor was chromed, even the faceplates, so Rachel couldn’t judge much about them. They wore the insignia of the Gehennan government, a pegasus. As though Gehenna were claiming rights to the whole Pegasus Dwarf galaxy. Never mind that ninety percent of it was ruled by the Mizraim Empire. Rachel smirked, and kept her head down. Everybody had pride.

  Something brushed against her side. She spun, but whoever it was had already disappeared into the crowd. One of the purses of kesitahs was missing from her jacket pocket. She scowled, scanning the crowd and knowing it was in vain. The money didn’t matter much, but she’d let someone walk up and touch her, and get away without a trace. This place was too crowded. There was no way to keep track of everyone. Any one of those people could be a Redeemer.

  She suppressed a shudder. She was being paranoid. A
Redeemer would likely be beside himself with apoplexy here. Not too hard to spot. Still, she hurried down the stairs to the next sub-level. An Angelologist had to go where the leads were. If she could brave this planet, she could handle a crowded Bazaar.

  Angel technology had advanced mankind thousands of years, maybe tens of thousands. But now the Angels were gone and they hadn’t shared freely. And Rachel intended to see mankind reap the full benefit of two and half millennia of servitude to that theocracy. Days of Glory, indeed.

  The second sub-level was much like the first, except numerous side halls broke away, creating a series of loops that would make it easier to get lost down here. And this wasn’t the kind of place she should just stop and ask someone for help, though it was as thick with people as the first level. Apparently, she should have gotten more information from that serving girl. With a sigh, Rachel strode down one of the halls. She passed a weapon shop that, oddly, had more knives than MAGs. Who carried knives? Curiosity almost made her stop inside and ask what the point—no pun intended—of a knife was. But that wasn’t why she was here.

  She continued on until she spotted a woman hovering in the shadows, by a closed door. Could be Ariel. Or could know how to find her if she wasn’t. All right, then, time for business. Rachel squared her shoulders and strode straight for her.

  As if from nowhere, a man stepped in front of her. “I got what you’re looking for, long hair.”

  “How do you know what I want?”

  The man smirked. “I just know, whatever it is, I got it.” His emotions were a roil of filth—lust, greed, a burning desire for violence. Rachel had known too many men like him.

  “Is that Ariel?”

  The man glanced back at the woman in the shadows. “I don’t know her name, long hair. But she’s already got what you need. I mean look at her. Look at the peace on her face. I got that for you.” The man winked at her. He was probably in his late thirties—it was hard to tell—and had fairly fine clothes. The vest could have been nanomesh, or it could have been real leather.

  “I don’t think I’m looking for the same thing she is,” Rachel said, and backed away, toward the center breezeway.

  The man edged around her. “You ever tried Mammon, long hair?”

  Rachel rolled her eyes. Her hair wasn’t even that long—halfway down her back at most. She opened her mouth, but the dealer just kept talking.