by HP Mallory
He glanced around himself, but I doubted he could make out much in the dark. Unless, of course, a bull’s eyesight was better in the dark? I wasn’t sure, but it also wasn’t like Asterion was in his bull form anyway.
“We’re somewhere we don’t want to be,” was Asterion’s only response.
Bill and I, once again, seemed to be on the same wavelength as we looked at one another with mild confusion. “What do you mean? Where are we? I need to know…” Bill started.
“About ten miles away from where demon tribes like to breed,” Asterion answered.
“Um, say what?” Bill asked.
“Demon tribes?” I repeated, the tone of my voice belying my worry. That didn’t sound good and it sounded even worse considering I didn’t have my sword any longer. I had a feeling Fletcher had taken it when he’d taken me.
“These aren’t the sorts of demons you’re used to dealing with either. Think more goblin than demon. They’re small, but they can overwhelm their enemies with their sheer numbers,” Asterion explained. “And unless you want to get captured by them and fed to their chief, then I suggest we be quiet and move quickly through this region.”
I crouched down beside Asterion, and he led the way through the thicket. Loud banging noises met my ears, and, for a moment, I thought it was the sound of my heartbeat, but then I realized it was something in the distance.
Drums.
The thicket gave way and I realized we were on the precipice of a large open area. In the center of the opening was a large bonfire that cast an amber glow on the surrounding trees as small, hideous creatures banged against drums that were much bigger than they were. These demons had greasy, wart-covered skin with war-paint slathered on their faces. Jagged, yellowed teeth protruded from their bottom lips, and a foul stench caused me to choke.
Asterion’s hand came over my mouth as he pulled me along from tree to tree. Luckily, we were bathed in the darkness and it would be exceedingly difficult to see us.
Bill, however, apparently saw something because he broke away from us. I hit Asterion in the shoulder to alert him, and he stopped long enough to catch sight of the sneaky angel as he retreated to the far side of the clearing, where he reached out and grabbed something. Asterion cursed under his breath and left me behind a wide and tall tree. Then he grabbed Bill by the arm and dragged him back to the tree I was hiding behind. Then we started forward again, leaving the camp of demons far behind us.
When we were in the clear, Asterion stopped walking and turned on Bill, who was busily chewing on something.
“What the hell were you thinking?” he demanded.
“Yo, back the fuck up! Not cool, Kemosabe,” he hissed before slapping Asterion in the chest. Bill glared at him. “I got hungry an’ decided to raid their little picnic. By the way, those little fuckers smelled like an outhouse on a hot August night. Or... that rancid dumpster juice that…”
I couldn’t take it anymore. “Bill!”
The angel slammed his lips shut for a moment as Asterion spoke. “We have Trials to overcome soon, and our bond must be stronger than ever.”
“What’s the point of saying that?” Bill asked.
“The point is to remind you that we’re in this together,” Asterion answered. “Thus, if you decide to raid someone’s picnic, tell us before you risk us and yourself.”
“Whatever. You could just ask for some, yo.”
“I’m not hungry,” Asterion answered.
“Ah right, you ate all those raw chickens back there,” Bill grumbled and complained about lack of vibrant sunlight being bad for his complexion or something along those lines.
“Raw chickens?” I asked as my stomach turned in disgust.
“I had to return to my human form,” Asterion said with a frown at us both.
Not that I could say I was paying much attention. Instead, I couldn’t stop thinking about finding Tallis. At this point, that was all that mattered.
“I’m proud of you, Lily,” Asterion said, pulling me out of my thoughts. “And I appreciate you.”
I faced him with surprise. “I appreciate you too, Asterion.” Then I glanced down at his… nudity and inhaled deeply. “How is it that you seem completely comfortable without a lick of clothing on?”
“This is my natural state,” he said with a shrug. “I’m not ashamed of it.”
“I feel like I could learn a thing or two from you,” I said as I nodded and allowed the thoughts to really penetrate my mind. Here was Asterion who was totally fine walking around naked and I was covered in clothing and still uncomfortable with myself. There was an after-school special in there somewhere...
Bill threw a stone at Asterion’s head, but missed him by about ten feet. “When ya’ll are done singing campfire songs and sharing yer feelings, can we please focus on what’s important here? Like me?”
###
I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
It hadn’t been long since I wandered the Dark Wood, but never had I seen a freaking fortress nestled in the trees! And it was a fortress that stretched from tree-top to tree-top, each joined by a hanging bridge. The walls on the ground were tall and strong, made of wood beams that had been shaved down until each was smooth. I heard the sound of a mallet crashing down on iron and smelled the scent of roasted meat that permeated the air.
“Where the hell are we?” Bill asked.
“Looks like we found the rebel camp,” I responded. I glanced down at my bracelet and realized it had stopped glowing. Yep, we’d definitely located our destination.
Though the fortress was small, it held the same medieval flair that had been present at the Barren Heart tavern. A sentry on the wall scowled down at us, barring our entrance. Asterion and Bill seemed on edge, so I took the lead.
“What business do you have here?” the sentry demanded.
“We’re here to see Metra,” I answered.
“What business do you have here?” the sentry asked again.
“My name is Lily Harper. My aunt is Annice Harper.” Then I remembered our bracelets. I held up my hand. “She gave us these bracelets to help us find this place.”
The man focused on the cuff on my hand and then nodded. A moment later, the gate opened, but I wasn’t greeted by the woman I’d met at my aunt’s. No, it was Tallis who walked through the enormous entrance to the fortress. When I saw him, my whole body sighed in relief and I ran to him as he limped to me. Clearly, he’d been injured. Not that it mattered because he swept me up into his arms, and I pressed my lips to his. The kiss was sweet and tender but filled with love and passion, as always.
“You’re alive,” I whispered.
“Aye.”
“Fletcher told me you were dead.”
“Fletcher?” he repeated.
“An asshole who works for AE and is in bed with Alaire,” I answered. “He told me the Lemures got you.”
“Nae, nae, lass.”
“Alright, break it up,” someone said from behind Tallis. I glanced behind him into the face of Metra. She wore a knowing smile as she waved. I turned around at the sound of the large gates closing behind us and we started up a ramp that led to a narrow and tall staircase, made of wood, that wound along one of the trees, leading up to the canopy above.
Aside from the fact that it was high up in the trees, the camp wasn’t very impressive, but there was loyalty among the rebels and that counted for more than luxury. Folks sat at long wooden tables as they shoveled food into their mouths. Metra showed us into a room near the south end of the fortress. It was almost entirely empty aside from a table with a map at the center and seven large chairs that sat around it. Metra motioned for us to take a seat, and we followed along.
It was then that she noticed Asterion and his lack of clothing. “Clearly your adventure’s been harder on some o’ ye than others,” she said with a smirk. “I’ll have clothin’ sent up for ye.”
“It would be appreciated,” Asterion responded with a slight bow.
“About fuckin’ time!” Bill said.
Then Metra turned to me and the smile dissolved off her face. “Does AE have Annice?” she asked me pointedly.
“Yes,” I answered, remembering the fact that Fletcher had told me as much. “But I don’t know where they have her.”
“I will find her, Lily. You don’t have to worry about that.” Metra’s eerie gaze bore into mine, and I squeezed Tallis’s hand. He squeezed back and I leaned against his shoulder as Metra spoke. “Alaire will try to keep her in his sights so he can use her against you like he attempted to do with your mother.”
“Then my mother is safe?” I asked.
Metra nodded. “I would say so—for the time being anyway.” Then she took a deep breath and sighed. “But by the time Alaire realizes he made a mistake in thinking Annice is helpless, you’ll hopefully already have Uriel in your protection.”
“And that brings us to my next question. The Geryon said we had to make it through Trials in order to reach Uriel?” I started.
“Yes, the Four Trials of Damnation tied to the Seven Deadly Sins,” Metra said with a clipped nod.
“Right. And in order to arrive at the destination of the Trials, Geryon said we were to take the water from the Sanctuary of Uriel, which we have ready to go, and drink it before submerging ourselves in the Waterfall of Forever…located in the Dark Wood?”
“And the waterfall is only accessible through this encampment,” Metra said with another quick nod.
“Then that’s our next step,” I said.
“First you must regain your strength, all of you,” she said as she faced Tallis and he nodded, taking a deep breath. “In order to survive the Trials, you must be in pique physical health.”
“Then we’ll be here for a while?” I asked as I faced Tallis, who was definitely in the worst shape of any of us. Whatever had attacked him, before Fletcher took me, had been a worthy adversary and had very nearly killed him, I imagined.
“You’ll need to stay low for however long it takes,” Metra answered. Then she nodded as she looked through the window at the wide expanse of tree boughs and wooden bridges connecting the random wooden rooms of her fortress above the ground.
###
BILL
Two Days Later
“So, you lookin’ to settle down with a handsome dude who would do anything to pleasure you every night, all night…” I started.
Metra’s fingers pressed against my lips to keep me from talking. The Druid chick was a bit of a tomboy and a tease, but that didn’t discourage me none. But the way she looked at me with pity in her eyes weren’t a good sign.
“I appreciate the offer, Bill, but I’m declinin’.”
“You’re like... a lesbian, right?”
She nodded slowly. “Right. Very, very right.”
“So this body ain’t doin’ nothing for you?” I asked as one last ditch attempt to get laid before I most likely got myself trapped in a realm no one ever escaped from aka the Trials.
“Not. One. Thing.”
I nodded and backed off. “Cool. Cool. Respect. But uh... you got any busty blonds around this place? I could really use some recreational activities after all I’ve been through.”
The Druid chick pointed to a tiny room not too far from where I stood. “Check in there.”
Of course I strutted over to the place in question—only to get yanked off my feet by the handsy Minotaur I was forced to be friends with. Actually, Kemosabe wasn’t so bad now that I was used to his grumbles and the fact that the dude talked non-fucking-stop and about girly shit like feelings and what not.
“Dude, lemme go. I’m on my way to get some seriously needed sexual healin’!”
“Not tonight, Bill,” he answered with a shake of his head. “You and I are bunking together. That means no romping in the bed while I’m trying to sleep.”
“You’re cockblocking an angel?! There are sins beyond comprehension, but this one takes the cake!” I stomped away from Asterion as soon as he put me back down and headed for our room, even though I wished I could be motorboatin’ some hot busty chick. Truth be known, I was sick to death of havin’ to room with Kemosabe. This was the second time now and he snored!
And I weren’t too excited ‘bout going to sleep neither. While I ain’t the type to have prophetic dreams—those just ain’t in my list of angel abilities—I was startin’ to get these realities… as I called them.
It was like weird little thoughts or memories from long ago that came back to visit me when I was least expecting them and usually at night while I was dreamin’ about burying myself to the hilt in some hot little number.
One of them little realities decided to hit me right then.
This one was a memory…
The battlefields were blackened by the blood of angels, humans, and demons alike. Streaks of radiant grace illuminated a scorched field that had once been the home of mankind. Matteo, the leader of all the angels, stood among the wreckage with a solemn grin as Gathindu and Uriel made their way to his side. I looked on with such fear in my heart that I could hardly breathe. What had we done? And was it all worth it?
Every beautiful drop of humanity had been washed away by blood rain and ash that fell from the sky. And lying at the feet of the archangels was one of their own... The dark brother, the scorned brother. The one that no one dared speak his name...
He lay there, on the ground, with charred wings and blackened skin. The angelic eyes and beautiful features seemed so out of place on a creature as dark as this one.
Matteo lifted his flaming sword and aimed it at his brother’s head. “Do you repent?”
“No.”
“Then I must slay you, brother,” Matteo snarled.
“If you do this, then they will never flourish,” The Forsaken One responded, growling. “Humanity will never return if I am not here to set things right. That is what Mother wants, is it not? For peace and tranquility between us and humans? I can help you.”
Uriel stepped forward. “It will take all three of us as well as Renu, Sendais, Raguel, and Janus.”
“The archangels will set things right,” Matteo said.
“And throw the balance askew? What is the worth of your brilliant light if there is not my darkness to help it shine?” the crumpled figure on the ground asked.
Gathindu lifted her hand to stay Matteo’s blade. She moved in front of her holy brothers and rested her hand on the fallen angel’s shoulder. “Help us restore this world, and your life will be spared. But You are forsaken. From this day on, you are no longer one of us, but something far more pure. For the purity of evil is an unbeatable truth.”
The archangels who stood on the battlefield presented items of great power. Gathindu, Uriel, Matteo, and The Forsaken caused a swell of divine energy that mended the tears in the universe that had been torn apart by the war.
I was left in the center of it all, surrounded by my fallen brethren as humans appeared before our eyes. Uriel was the one who found me. He took my hand and led me to the light.
“We are in short supply of angels, William, and there is much that still needs to be done.”
SEVENTEEN
LILY
Light peeked in through the slatted wooden walls of the makeshift room. Something which was odd considering it was still dark outside.
I sat up from the bed slowly, careful not to alert Tallis as I tip-toed towards the door. When I opened it, I found Metra standing off to the side with a lantern. “Asterion and the angel are already preparing for the trek to the sacred tree,” she whispered.
“Then it’s time for the Trials?”
She nodded. “Aye. I believe ‘tis time.”
I felt my heart drop as anxiety bubbled up from within me. I nodded and closing the door, returned to the bed and kissed Tallis awake. His grumpy pout diminished when he looked up at me.
“It’s time, Tallis,” I said.
He just continued to stare at me but then he nodded.
###
Tallis and I walked over to the blacksmith’s tent which was located on the ground, behind the enormous walls that kept this refuge secure. The blacksmith was a hulking, enormous man who was so covered with soot, I could barely make out his features. When he reached into a dark corner and handed me my sword, and I looked over at Metra, my eyes wide with shock. I’d thought I’d lost it when Fletcher captured us.
“How did you get this?” I asked excitedly as I ran the tips of my fingers along the blade’s flat surface. It was as sharp as ever, and the feeling of coming home swept through me.
“I can’t tell you all of my secrets.” Metra smiled knowingly and tossed a bundle of hide towards Bill.
The sudden flying object startled the angel, but he caught it in time. He unfolded the flaps of fabric while glaring daggers into Metra, probably for tossing it to him when he was unprepared. But when he glanced down at the golden biomechanical insect, tears welled in Bill’s eyes. I pulled him aside. “What in the world is that?”
“It’s my Sentinel,” he answered.
“Your what?”
“My Sentinel,” he repeated as if repeating the word made more sense of it. It didn’t.
“Um, what?”
“Wayyyy before I became your guardian angel, I was a warrior.”
“You were a warrior?” I asked, frowning because I couldn’t imagine how such could be the case. Bill was a lot of things but warrior-like wasn’t one of them.
He nodded. “All angels were. The Kingdom and the demons The Forsaken created were fighting like rabid dogs.” The Kingdom was essentially another name for heaven. “Angels had weapons that were assigned to them, and Uriel made this for me.”
“How?” I asked as I studied the perfect lines of whatever the thing was. It appeared to be a giant praying mantis made out of gold. It didn’t exactly look like a weapon. More like some sort of steampunk… thing.
“Uriel melted down golden feathers from his own wings and gave the compound to Erigo, who is in charge of the Heavenly Forges. And then Erigo created this and Uriel gave it to me.” He studied the thing longingly and then held it to his chest as if it were his long lost baby blanket.
