Fallen

by R C Knight

  “No,” Keira shouted with defiance. “We will not let them murder you.” She released the arrow, watching as it flew straight towards Aria’s chest. Aria sighed with exhaustion as she pulled out her other dagger and quickly deflected the arrow.

  “Keira, that’s enough.” Zane demanded, his voice echoing through the empty chamber. “Without them, our fight ends today.” He took a deep breath, sighing heavily. “We can go no further. You don’t need me to defeat the Horsemen and reclaim the earth.” He looked around the chamber, meeting the eyes of each of his team members. “No arguments,” he hollered. “You will follow Aria now.” He grimaced with pain; his voice hoarse as he looked back at Aria. Keira sighed with resignation as she dropped her bow, Liam and Riley threw their weapons to the ground. They fixed their gaze on Zane and Aria, holding their heads high and tears back so he could have an honorable death.

  Aria glanced around the chamber; I can’t believe it has come to this. She returned her gaze to Zane, his eyes felt like they were penetrating her soul. “I love you,” she whispered so only he could hear. “I always will.” Zane nodded as he smiled sadly.

  “Just do it,” he said, mustering the last of his strength into his voice. “It’s clear you’ve already made your choice.

  Everyone has a choice, Aria thought as she raised her dagger. How could I kill him as easily as the Counsel would kill me? An image of Raphael flashed through her mind. Aria’s eyes grew wide with understanding as she lowered her dagger and turned away from him. She looked over at Ryder with defiance. “He may be a Nephilim.” The power in her voice resonated through the chamber. “But he is Raphael’s son. And as such I will protect him.” Zane released the breath he had been holding as he looked up at Aria with disbelief.

  “You can’t do this.” Ryder shouted angrily. “The Counsel… No... God himself will smite you once he finds out you are hiding a Nephilim!”

  “You know Cordelia’s prophecy.” Myra added on hesitantly. “We can’t.”

  Aria twirled her daggers as she squared her stance in front of Zane. “Raphael wouldn’t have allowed him to live, let alone train him, if he had thought Zane was the Nephilim of the prophecy. Raphael was like a father to me, and as such I give my solemn vow to protect what is his.” She stared defiantly at each of her team members. “If you want no part of this, then leave. Hell, you can even tell Michael yourself! But I will not allow you to murder Raphael’s son because of a stupid dream some old woman had thousands of years ago.” Her voice rose with anger as her eyes met Ryder’s. “But if you feel you must kill him, then you’ll have to go through me first.”

  Ryder roared with frustration as his wings shot from his back. “Damnit Aria.” He sighed wearily as he willed his mind to calm. After a few deep breaths, his body relaxed, and wings retracted. “Don’t make me regret this,” he said grudgingly as he lowered his head. Keira ran up to Aria and hugged her.

  “Thank you.” She looked up at Aria, tears streaming down her cheeks. She smiled as she moved past Aria and knelt next to Zane, pulling him into her arms. He grunted with pain, but smiled, nonetheless.

  “We just signed our death warrants.” Ryder sighed sadly as he rubbed his face. “Myra, Kai, feel free to leave if you aren’t comfortable with this.” Kai crossed his arms over his chest, his lips tight and brows furrowed.

  “You aren’t getting rid of me that easily,” he replied, his voice low. Myra walked over to Aria, a small smile on her face.

  “You did the right thing.” She pulled Aria in for a hug. “Now, let’s see what we can do to help these humans.” Myra turned and walked over to Bishop, placing her hand on his shoulder. She knelt next to him and whispered in his ear. Bishop nodded slowly as his eyes frantically searched the room. He pulled Mikayla’s body closer to his chest. Myra began to chant softly, her hands glowing with a soft white light. She kept both of her hands on Bishop’s shoulders, watching as his body relaxed and his head began to loll. Slowly, she lowered his body to the ground, his breathing was even and slow and his eyes closed. She turned to look at Zane.

  “I have put him in a deep sleep for now.” She glanced around the chamber. “I know this is difficult, but we need to leave.”

  “I agree.” Ryder walked over to Myra, his face set with determination. “There’s no way of knowing when reinforcements might arrive.” Zane nodded in agreement as Keira helped him stand up.

  “Ryder, can you carry Bishop back?” Zane’s voice was hoarse as he struggled to talk.

  “Of course.” Ryder knelt next to Bishop and quickly lifted him up.

  “Liam and Riley, can you manage Jackson?” His voice broke as his eyes fell on the bodies strewn across the floor. Liam and Riley nodded as they knelt next to Jackson’s body.

  “I’ve got Mikayla,” Kai announced as he walked over and gently picked up her broken body. Zane nodded with gratitude as he watched his friends head back to the tunnel. Keira placed her arm around Zane’s waist, gently leading him towards the others.

  “Aria.” Keira looked back at her. “Can you get his sword?” Aria nodded as she sheathed her daggers and looked down at Raphael’s sword. It was still buried into the ground, the yellow torchlight dancing off the silver blade. She grabbed the hilt with both hands and struggled to pull it out. How the hell did he carry this? she thought as she managed to pull out the sword. I hope I made the right choice. She sighed wearily as she followed the group, struggling to keep the sword off the ground. What was Raphael thinking?

  Epilogue

  Heaven

  Screams echoed down the hallway as a lone figure walked down the empty corridor. The man was wearing a black robe, the hood pulled up to hide his face. His footsteps slowed as he arrived at a door near the end of the hallway. Another scream of pain echoed along the walls of the hallway.

  The man unlocked the door and quickly entered the room. Gideon was strapped to a chair. His shirt had been removed; cuts were scattered across his torso. A pool of black blood had formed at the base of the chair. His brown hair was matted against his forehead with blood. His hazel eyes looked up wearily as he heard the door close. His face was beaten and bruised, his left eye swollen shut. A small smile spread across his face. “I wondered when you’d let me out.”

  “What have you told them?” The man hissed.

  Gideon looked around the room frantically. His body began to shake with fear. “Nothing,” he whimpered. “I didn’t tell them anything.”

  “Don’t lie to me!” he shouted, his voice echoing around the room.

  “I’m sorry.” Gideon sobbed. “It was an accident. But it wasn’t anything important! Besides, there’s no way they could defeat the Horsemen.” He struggled against his restraints. “Please, you’ve got to believe me. Just let me out of here and I’ll track down that little bitch and kill her before she causes any more problems.”

  “She’s already been taken care of, no thanks to you.” Anger laced the man’s voice.

  “But, how?” Gideon asked with confusion.

  “I always have a back-up plan,” he scoffed. “Do you have anything else to say for yourself?”

  Gideon looked around the room, his mind churning with questions. “I have served you faithfully for hundreds of years! They still don’t know who you are. I didn’t tell them anything about you.”

  “Yes, you have done well in that matter.” The man replied softly. “However, we cannot risk you revealing any more of our plans.” The figure slipped a dagger from its sleeve. “Your service will be rewarded in the afterlife.” Gideon screamed and struggled against his bonds as the man walked towards him. The blade of the dagger flashed in the light as it penetrated his chest. His head rolled forward as black blood ran down his torso. The figure wiped the blade clean with Gideon’s clothes and hid it in its sleeve. Dark laughter filled the air as he turned and left the room.

  The Sins of Angels Series:

  Fallen: Book One

  Destruction: Book Two

  Corruption: Book Three
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br />   Redemption: Book Four

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  ABOUT THE AUTHORS

  When R. C. Knight is not writing, they spend their time at work (saving and improving lives) and planning their next adventure. R. C. Knight lives in Minnesota with one child, a cat that is secretly plotting murder, and their over-active dogs that can’t sit still for more than a minute.