The Celestial Rose BoxSet

by Annalee Adams

  "Do you like him?" She asked.

  "Would you be offended if I said no?" I grimaced at the vile creature before me.

  "Pet him, Lucian, he likes that."

  "Err nope. I'm good, thanks."

  "PET HIM LUCIAN!" She screamed.

  "Damn, Lilith, it'll take my hand off." I said as she laughed uncontrollably.

  "You were always the only one who would speak truthfully to me. You never feared me. I admired you for that."

  "You're wrong. You scare the shit out of me." I said as I cautiously laughed. She joined in the laughter as she picked up Jesus and wrapped it around her neck. "Why the name Jesus?"

  "Because it is Jesus, silly."

  "Err, okay." I wasn't sure whether to believe her or not. After all, she was a combination of every supernatural being out there. Well, at least all the Dark Ones, anyway.

  "So, Lucian," she said, "Why have you taken so long to come to see me?"

  "I thought you'd be busy with all your new creations."

  "It wasn't because of last time?"

  "Last time? No, of course not." I couldn't help but be coy.

  "Because I hoped to reinvent the wheel, Lucian. Cain has been gone for such a long time."

  "Speaking of Cain, where is your betrothed?"

  "Probably impregnating the whores of the Earth you love so much." She scoffed.

  "Did you two have a falling out?" I asked as she folded her arms and huffed. "Okay, its none of my business. But I wanted to talk to you, Lilith."

  "Talk? Why talk when we could have so much fun?" The smell of roses flooded through the air, a scent that the Femme Fatales used to lure their prey. But also one that Taylor carried with her and one that always reminded me of my one true love.

  "I can't, Lilith. I'm in love with someone else."

  "No, it can't be so. You're in love with her? You fool!"

  "What, why would you say that?"

  "You don't even know her, know who she really is. I tried to save you, Lucian, but you killed my only hope of banishing her. It'll take a while to create another of my pets. "

  "But why did you try to kill Taylor?"

  "Taylor, you idiot. That wasn't called Taylor. That was Eve!"

  "Eve? No, it wasn't, I met her centuries ago."

  "Yes, Lucian, it was. You were always fond of her."

  "Yes, but only because she was like you." The Eve I knew was like Lilith. I only met her once, but she was as stunning as Lilith was, surrounded by angels, and sat beside Adam in her celestial temple. "She hardly spoke to me. I mainly dealt with Victoria."

  "Ah, yes. It's a shame she had to die. She would have made a beautiful pet." She said while stroking Jesus. I grimaced. Could she be right? It would explain the light, but not the mortal soul. It couldn't be her.

  "She was mortal. She died. That's why I'm here."

  "I know why you came. You hope to save her from Lucifer’s reign." She said, her face sad. "She isn't dead. She's immortal, she'll just use another skinsuit."

  "It can't be. I'd know."

  "Even she didn't know. That's why she was so damn easy to kill. She even did that one herself." She laughed. "What a fool." She laughed harder as she sat back in the throne. "Your whole life's a lie, Lucian. She gave you human emotions and now you're weak, just like her. I could squash you like a bug."

  "Do it then." I cried, head in my hands. "I can't be without her." Tears rolled down my icy face.

  "Pitiful fool. You'll be strong again. I'll recreate you." She grinned, clapping her hands in glee. "Jailer!" She screamed. The two-headed jailer stepped into the room. "Take him away!".

  The jailer came and pulled me back to the cell, ready for torment, torture, and an unending death. Life was shit and without Taylor, I wasn't anyone anymore.

  CHAPTER 44: TAYLOR

  The passage to Enoch was cold. Darkness reigned there, and no matter how much light I had within me, it wouldn't be enough. I was alone and even though I tried, none of my abilities worked. In fact, nothing much had worked since I came back to life, well, life in this body, anyway. This version of me had contracted the Darkness, mimicked its shallow abilities. Through the shadelings touch of death, I’d contracted the disproportionate distinction of travelling through to the realm beneath our own, the world of black and white, the world of the shadelings. And all while blissfully unaware of the danger, I’d stepped into a world of creative beauty, artistic allure, and ancient literature as I danced in the sunlight while the scent of roses caressed my supple body, massaging its hourglass figure with an alluring silhouette of passionate prose. Then came Seine, Lilith’s henchman, an assassin with an unjust desire to end my pitiful existence. He had acquired quite the taste for me as his volcanic core serrated my fragile nature. But through him, I grew, grew larger than I had ever thought possible. I gained his fiery abilities, which helped me take him down right before the Beast ended me.

  Journeying through the freezing, damp and dark tunnel bought back a flood of fresh memories. Evil at its best as the Beast had consumed me, murdered my little brother, and siphoned his own personal abilities into me. He had left me with an explosive bomb inside that decimated all love from existence, destroying the very fabric of my being as I screamed grievously, murdering every soul dear to me as I wept on the sorrowful sword of anguish and trepidation.

  The darkness in the passage bought back the painful memories of life before death; the reason I’d ended my own painful existence, the reason I couldn’t live without them anymore. There was something in there with me, preying on my fears, destroying my will to live. I couldn’t see it, but I felt it, creeping up my backbone like an old enemy ripe with revenge. I had to keep strong, keep fighting. This wasn't me anymore. I wiped the darkness from my life when I discovered my true being. I couldn't listen to it, couldn't feed its glutinous nature. Every part of me ached, heaviness burdened my body as I trudged forward. Each step I took felt weighed down with misery and contempt. I couldn't go on like that, couldn't feel the way forward through my sorrow and tearful strain. My face felt hot, hands were clammy as my eyes welled up with the tears of memories past. Keep going, Taylor, you can do this, Mum would have said. But she wasn’t here anymore. She was gone like the rest of them, murdered by my own selfish desire to live. It wasn’t right, wasn’t just.

  Keep going Taylor, remember who you really are. Eve, who was she? It’s okay remembering the name, but what did that mean without any truth to the life before my own. Who was I then? Did I struggle against the darkness as I do now? Keep going, Taylor, just a few more steps. My vision blurred, teeth clenched. Another step, then another. The strain of walking uphill, paddling through the darkness, felt like I was drowning with the light above, swimming with all my might to reach the surface. Take a breath. But nothing. It was too far away. I couldn't do it, couldn't reach the light before my eyes. Stumbling forward, my chest burned as I grunted out shallow breaths through the thickening air around me. The passage spanned. Which way was out? I dropped to my knees, rocks cut against me as I crawled forward in the thickening fog. Which way is out? There’s got to be a way out! Voice trembling, I shouted for help. Would Gabriel hear me? But there was no response.

  It would be so easy to curl up and wither away in the passage that closed in around me. It was too hard to reach the light anymore. Too difficult to manage another crawl forward. Which way was forward? Wiping my brow, I stopped. I closed my eyes and hollowed out my soul, letting go, counting to ten. I had to drive the panic away, concentrate on the light within me. I had to believe in who I was, who I could be. Remember Taylor Lane, remember your mother, creative and kind. Her smile, her hair as it shimmered in the sunlight. Remember your dad, his bear hugs and his belly full of laughter. Your brother, remember his inquisitive nature, his happiness as he jumped around the room. And remember your lover, your Lucian. He's the reason you’re here, the reason you must keep going. Keep going Taylor! Keep going.

  And with that pep talk, I stretched, easing the tensi
on out of every muscle, feeling the relief flood in as the fear drained out of me. Eyes blinked open, straining to focus, and there it was, the light before me. I was just three steps away. Get up, push that body upright. It was time to go, time to save Lucian and time to save the world. Saying that though, I hadn’t quite figured out how I was going to talk to my sister. Would Lilith even recognise me? Would she see the light of Eve in the mortal body? My body? I hoped so, I hoped she had some fondness left for me. I was planning on it.

  Reaching the light, I took a deep breath in and stepped through. Letting go, my body slumped, shaky laughter edged across my lips as I bought my hand up to my heart. I was here. I was in Enoch and it was daytime.

  Now, by daytime I meant a vibrant bright light that resonated from a big ball of a sun that was a lot closer than I’d ever seen. The fact that the two moons sat beside it made me realise I wasn’t in Kansas anymore. It was a new world. No wonder the Almighty had never found it, scouring Earth like a lost soul. It didn’t even reside on that plane. I had always imagined Enoch much like I imagined Hell, a scary dark trap waiting to go off, monsters lurking in every corner, Demons ready to rip you apart. You know, the usual. But here, well, it seemed quite peaceful. Extremely bright, but peaceful. It was what I imagined the Sahara sand dunes to look like; a blistering array of gritted glass sweeping across the land before me. Where did I go? It was almost like I wanted to take off my boots and feel the sand between my toes. Could I? Would I? There was no one around, it felt so warm, like a paradise of sunlight streaming across a heavenly mirage of beauty. A mirage? Could it all be just that? A plain and simple mirage designed to throw off the wisest of travellers. Bending down, I gathered up a handful of sand. It couldn't be, it felt real. The soft of the sand streamed through my fingertips.

  That was it. The boots were coming off. I smiled as I sat on the sand beside the passage and pulled off the suffocating boots, tied the laces together, and slung them over my shoulder. It was that feeling when you first put your feet on the warm comforting sand that brings about a delightful sigh of relief. Squeezing my toes into the sand, the beads massaged my soles, exfoliating, casting away the dead cells and bringing life to fresh ones. My feet shone with a delightful radiance as I sat for a minute, taking in the beauty of such a place. The silence there was blissful, there had to be a reason to move, to leave this place. But what was it? What could take me away from the love of a simple walk on the sand beside the light of the summer sun in a place of tranquillity? How did I even get there? Did it matter? The glorious view of a millennia of sand dunes encompassed my pupils. If my body was able to fly, I’d be floating in heaven right then. I hadn't felt that at peace since... well I couldn't remember when. But it was a feeling that blessed me with its joy. Taking a deep breath, I laid on the sand, laughing as it crept across me, casting me away like a feather in the wind. And with the wind came a blustery burst of granules that trickled over me, residing on my warmly temperate body. Every muscle eased, every ache disappeared, as my smiling face sunk deep into the sand.

  Wait! That alarming bell rang in my mind. Something didn't feel right. What am I doing here? It was like something scooped out a section of my mind, my memories were amiss. What was happening? Think, Taylor, think!

  Blizzards of sandpaper began to wrap over me, threatening to serrate my lungs. Where was I? I couldn't breathe. What was happening to me? Tensing up, I didn’t feel good anymore. My relaxed love of life had dissipated with the blizzard of sand that stole my breath. I was suffocating in the deep, dry heat, pulled under, dragged lower, and there was no getting out, no way to breathe, no peace in sight. Choking on sand was an infernal way to die, especially as no-one would ever find my body. There was no hope of moving on, no way back to my world, no chance I would ever see my Lucian again. There he is, that memory. Hold on to that. Remember who you are, Taylor, remember what you can do. Light, the heat, the love of life, it was all within me. I could use it, I had to. I needed to scream. Scream, damn you, scream! And with that, I screamed. I inhaled the sand as I sputtered and screamed, freezing the movement of the beads around me, screaming in pain, in desperation, in fear. Screaming to get away, to survive one more day, to save Lucian, to save humanity. I screamed.

  Time stood still as the sand froze around me, holding me tightly as though my body were wrapped in shrink wrap. It clung like a film that squashed every inch of me in, unable to move, restrained by a strait jacket. The problem was, even though when I screamed time froze and it had stopped me being sucked in deeper, there was still no air left to breathe. My body contorted and spasmed. Seizures wrapped around my brain. I had no more power left in my arsenal, no more magic in my box, the end was near and I was welcoming it with open arms. The only might I could muster was to reach down as far as I could and try to grip the sigil that once blessed me with its eternal control. It was all I had left, my only chance, and my hand finally found it.

  Control reigned through me as my back straightened, body paused, rationality hit, and the reality of the situation flashed through my mind. Sand, it was all sand. I couldn’t climb out, there was no logical way to get out of the situation. Sand. What can I do to make it squander? There had to be something. Then, there it was, a twinkling in my eye as the idea formed in my mind and clarity dawned on me. Inspirational belief assembled in the chasm of my mind, reality was not all as it seemed. I wasn’t just mortal, this body didn’t belong to only the light side, it also flowed with the path of darkness, just as the fire reigned through my veins. There was a way out, a fiery way out. I’d have to control the temperature, the last thing I wanted was to be swallowing a serpent of molten glass. An immense blast would do it, formulating a radius around me and freeing me from the sandy grave I was buried in.

  Eyes closed, I summoned all the strength I had to my hands, pushing the timeless beads away. I created an abyss before me. Belief in oneself was paramount at times like that. Fists balled and brow raised, I bared down, grunting hard as I pushed out a bellowing wail of fire from my fists. Swarms of scarlet, hues of amber and yellow, screamed out from within me. With every muscle, every bone, every part in my everlasting soul, I beamed. I’d made it. Standing alone in the chasm I’d created, I smiled. I’d done it. I had fought for everything I knew and loved and lived to fight another day. If only I could find a way out of the endless pit of delusion. The walls had to be a good twelve foot around. How the heck was I going to climb that?

  Looking around, the sun christened the newly formed crevice. Its warm rays clutched at my cool soft skin. Beads of sweat glistened as they fell from my brow. I’d made it, but all I could see was the bright blue sky, two moons, a stinking hot sun, and a heck of a lot of sand. I didn’t know how to unfreeze time, the sand seemed stationary as the wind dropped away from the chasm. Then there it was, a ripple in the beaded wall, a greyness in the sandy desert. Behind me, up high, sat a chamber. Something old, steel, and heavy to open. It had been hidden in the sand, awaiting an unsuspecting traveller to find it. I could see it there, yet it was still out of reach. Dusting away the granules, I found they moved and moulded by touch. This time-lark was quite something else, a miraculous discovery of momentum, or lack thereof. Pulling away at the foundation of my abysmal creation, I formed a step, then another. It took time to complete. I was tired, hungry, and shaking with dizziness. I needed something sugary soon, something just to boost my energy right up on and out of there. As I reached the top, my hand grasped at the balmy sand beside me, tugging my way up, extending my arm out, gripping at the reality around me as I jumped up and lay on the motionless sand, laughing. Hysterical laughter was a necessary evil for those that had undergone something like I had. It was all I had left. I was worn down and exhausted.

  As I laid flat on my back, my fingertips searched until I found it. There it was. I was not exactly sure what it is, but at least it was something in the deserted place. Whoever would have thought something so stunning could be so fearful? Rolling onto my front, I pushed up and onto my kn
ees. Dusting away the granules, the square steel trapdoor lay there for the taking. Embracing its existence, I pulled the handle open and jumped in with no fear of falling as I tumbled down and down through the rabbit hole, escaping one treacherous emotion for another.

  Falling down, I remembered my life once before, before the madness, the death, mayhem, and destruction. I remembered my mum smiling as she picked a flower and put it in my hair. Through the pain-free eyes of a six-year-old, the woman was my everything. She always would be, too. Just as with every thought I had her voice would come to help me in some way or another. Just as it did while I fell deeper and deeper. I remembered her touch, her soft hand soothing my hair as the monsters under the bed made me jump in the night. She was everything to me and it was hard to think I’d never see her again. It wasn't like my dad or Caleb, they were up there with Adam, watching and waiting. They were safe. But somewhere in this world was a baby girl with the voice of an angel, and that angel that cried herself to sleep was the voice of my mother, as her soul was born again into another. Down and down I fell. That, of course, meant I wouldn’t see her again, not the mother I knew, not the artist, creative and kind. She was gone. Her memories hidden. I was, and would always be, lost without her.

  Bump, my head shrieked as my brain jolted, bashing against the inside of my skull. It should have been a peaceful landing, like Alice on her trip to Wonderland, but in my reality, the falling meant a cold hard bang to the surface. My reality sucked.

  I half expected a little bottle and a cake with eat me and drink me cards attached. It wouldn’t have surprised me to find them there, with miniature doors and unstable keys. Instead, I ended in a crumpled pile on the floor in front of three doorways, three choices. Which should I choose? One way was bound to be paradisical, the other two most definitely gave way to an infinite damnation. So how did I pick from three identical doors? Everything in the room screamed condemnation. Maybe the whole thing was a trick and no matter which I picked I would be royally screwed anyway. Remind me again why I’m here? Oh, that would be Lucian and ending his eternal suffering. It’s a good job, I loved the guy, I thought as I picked myself up off the floor and ran through the right-hand door.