War (Fallen Book 2)

by Caleb Zane

The next morning, the real fun started, beginning with packing up, leaving on foot, taking all they could carry, and walking up the mountain. This was going to be a long and tiresome hike. While Kaiden had been used to walking in the past, he wasn’t now. Nor were the others. It wasn’t even an hour in before they all, including Kaiden, started to moan and complain.

  Kaiden hesitated a moment and glanced around. Where would it be? He suspected that the crown would be guarded and kept safe, maybe in a temple or a cave. Some sort of magical spell would be there and all kinds of tests. Maybe more. He wasn’t sure what to expect.

  The first sign they were going in the right direction was the footprints on the ground.

  “What are those?” he asked.

  “Hellhound,” Dazielle said.

  It was then the horrendous odor arrived. Why did monsters have to smell bad? Why couldn’t a monster smell of cotton candy or flowers?

  Kaiden and the others all pulled out their weapons and prepared to fight. This was going to be the first test for this journey and the easiest. That much Kaiden was sure of. At least that was the way it typically was.

  The first hellhound appeared a moment later. Pitch black fur covered the body, and it was the size of a large wolf, not a typical dog. It growled at them with froth coming from its mouth.

  “Avoid eye contact,” Muriel said.

  “You can’t expect us to do that,” Ziva protested.

  “Trust us,” Dazielle said.

  Killing a beast without looking into the eyes might be hard to do, but Kaiden wasn’t going to risk it. Right away, he made eye contact. “Fuck.”

  “The third is deadly,” Muriel said.

  Great, this was going to be a hard fight for Kaiden. He shot a ball of fire at the beast and missed. That was when the other three beasts showed up.

  “A full pack,” Zaphkiel said.

  At least there wouldn’t be anymore.

  Kaiden lunged to the right as one of the hellhounds leaped at him. The demonic monster moved with a speed that was almost as fast as Ai. Kaiden was the second fastest one here, and he barely managed to get out of the way.

  Kaiden sent up a silent prayer for his friends and lovers. Please let us win this battle. Come away unharmed.

  With his swords, Kaiden slashed the hellhound as it went past him. The black dog yelped and turned on Kaiden, who looked away, of course, into another dogs eyes. “Shit.”

  No more looks allowed. All the beast were still alive, and he had to fight without looking into their eyes. Kaiden was a goner. Fucked. He shot fire at the one in front of him and hit.

  Ziva was in action and landed on the hellhound he sliced. With her daggers, she stabbed the beast in the eyes. Her favorite spot.

  One was killed. Only three more to go.

  Ai was moving with a speed and a quickness that even Kaiden was having trouble keeping up with. He couldn’t believe it. She darted between them, stabbing one and then another. She was dealing death by a thousand cuts to the monsters. That was a sight to see.

  The angels shot bows and hit.

  Zaphkiel scored a hit and yelled, “One.”

  He must have meant he just looked into the beast eyes, but at least that one dropped to the ground. That meant two more.

  Kaiden was looking at the earth more than up. That was the only way he could think of to avoid the eyes. He followed their feet. That wasn’t the easiest way to fight, but he managed. Just barely.

  Desiree and Orlas killed another.

  Only one was left, and Ai leaped into the air, catching Kaiden’s attention, and landed on its back. She grabbed the head of the monster and started to rip it off with her bare hands. Just after it died, Kaiden looked into the eyes. Nothing.

  Thank the Lord it had died, and he was safe.

  “Fuck,” he said. “I looked twice.”

  “We got lucky,” Zaphkiel said. “In all my fights, at least the contests that I can remember, hellhounds always claim one for their pack.”

  Ouch. Pass.

  They dragged the bodies together for Kaiden. He burned them all before they went forward.

  “One test down,” Kaiden said. “Several more to go.”

  “More,” Desiree said. “You mean that was part of the Crown of Thorns?”

  “It was,” Kaiden said. “Raquel hinted it was guarded. That was part of it. Never just one thing. Not with magic and angels.” Kaiden turned to the angels. “No offense.”

  They laughed.

  “None taken,” Muriel said. “You speak the truth. We are a complicated bunch.”

  The trek up the mountain persisted. Kaiden munched on nuts and berries. It wasn’t much, but it gave him some energy.

  Several hours later, they reached a clearing and heard the flapping of wings. It sounded different than any of the sounds an angel would make. Suddenly, in the sky, Kaiden saw it.

  “It that what I think it is?” Kaiden asked.

  “What in the world” Desiree asked. She had a look of confusion on her face, and she wasn't the only one.

  “It probably is,” Dazielle said.

  “A sphinx,” Kaiden said.

  “Correct,” Muriel said. “We need to be careful.”

  “Why?” Desiree asked.

  This time, it was Ai who answered. “Sphinx ask riddles. If we answer wrong, we’ll be attacked. And we aren’t One-Punch Man.”

  “No, we’re not,” Zaphkiel said.

  Kaiden wasn’t sure he got the reference or not, but the point was made. They might not be able to kill the sphinx if they had to attack it.

  The creature had the body of a lion and the wings of a large bird. The head was that of a man. It was one the strangest looking things that Kaiden had ever seen and that was saying something. Desiree had talked to a demon with a hammer for a head.

  The sphinx landed in front of them. It was large and very noble-looking despite the oddity of the beast. Kaiden was really starting to hate all the levels in quests. Sure, each one meant the XP earned at the end was going to be an insane amount, entire levels’ worth, but that didn’t mean he liked it during. Just after.

  Kaiden had no patience and was ready to get the crown.

  “You shall not pass,” the sphinx said.

  “We won’t,” Zaphkiel said, “unless you allow us.”

  “Only if you answer my questions.”

  The voice of the sphinx was both deep and magical. Kaiden was sure that if the beast started to sing, it would be almost as good as Ai.

  “Answer we shall try,” Zaphkiel said.

  “I can bring a smile to your face, a tear to your eye, or even a thought to your mind, but I can’t be seen. What am I?”

  Kaiden was terrible with riddles and anything that made him think in around about ways. This was just not how his mind worked. He hoped the others would be able to figure this out.

  No one shouted out an answer. Kaiden hoped there was no time limit on this. It would be terrible if a timer would suddenly appear and start to count down to zero, and they had to answer. So far, that hadn’t happened.

  In fear, they all remained silent in case it was taken as answering the question. The tension was thick between them. All of them were worried and thinking of the answer.

  The sphinx was standing in front of them with a bored look, waiting for an answer. “I don’t have all time,” the sphinx said.

  Everyone blinked.

  It was Ziva who stepped forward with an answer. Kaiden had faith she would have the answer.

  “A memory,” she said.

  The sphinx tilted his head. “Correct. Two more questions before I will leave you be. If you look, you cannot see me, and if you see me, you cannot see anything else. I can make anything you want happen, but later, everything goes back to normal. What am I?”

  Kaiden groaned. He had hoped and dreamed that there would only be one question, but it would be too easy for that to be the case. This was turning into a video game for sure. What Kaiden needed to do was level up and pick
the answer riddle skill set if there was one.

  Each of them looked at each other with confused faces. This wasn’t a good sign. They might not be able to get past the sphinx. If they had to fight, Kaiden didn’t like their chances.

  Even the angels appeared perplexed. This time, it was Orlas who stepped up.

  “Your imagination,” the demon said.

  “Correct,” the sphinx said. “One more.”

  Kaiden didn’t like this at all. Riddles were the worst thing in the world, and he wanted to be done.

  “It is greater than God and more evil than the devil. The poor have it. The rich need it, and if you eat it, you'll die. What is it?”

  This time, Kaiden thought he might know it, but before he could even react, Ai was there and ready to answer. This was too easy.

  “Nothing,” Ai said.

  The sphinx nodded. “Clearly, you are all wise and worthy of passing.”

  Kaiden was pleased that they were allowed to go by. He thought about the riddle and the answer. It made a lot of sense. So simple and yet so hard to figure out. He was glad he didn’t have to do all of this alone. While he had confidence in himself, he wasn’t sure he would have been able to answer that without help. No matter how long he thought about it.

  If he did answer wrong, fighting the sphinx by himself was just as terrifying a possibility. Thankfully, none of that mattered. Ziva had answered, and they were continuing up the mountain.

  It was nearly dusk by the time a building appeared in front of them. It was large and reminded Kaiden of the one the Holy Grail was in. Just before they were about to reach the building, a creature appeared in front of them. It was both reptile and not. Kaiden just couldn’t figure out a way to describe it.

  “A basilisk,” Zaphkiel said. “The eyes again. What is with the eyes today?”

  Kaiden had to agree. He was beyond sick of creature and stares of death. The beast was huge and frightening. Not at all what Kaiden thought one would look like.

  They all moved around and made sure to keep the creatures head away from them.

  “What do its eyes do?” Desiree asked.

  “They don’t kill,” Muriel said, “but they paralyze you.”

  At least it wasn’t death.

  “But one bite of the beast will kill.” Muriel cringed and then continued, “It is really poisonous.”

  “Great,” Ziva said. “Just great.”

  Ai was running around at her top speed when she crossed in front of the beast and was frozen solid.

  Without thinking and overcome with emotion, Kaiden rushed to her side and was frozen in place. He could see everything going on around him, watch the others fighting the beast, but he couldn’t help. He had fucked up.

  How could he be so stupid? Now, it was up to the others to kill the king of the reptiles and free them of the spell the basilisk put them under. That was what it was. Magic. Kaiden could feel it.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Ziva was moving as fast as she could. Both Ai and Kaiden were frozen in place. Ziva hurt for them, but she couldn’t afford to let that distract her. This creature needed to be slain.

  The basilisk moved with a speed she hadn’t expected, but she was used to fighting. Utilizing her years of training and fight, she bopped and weaved, constantly moving and using the woods to her advantage. The beast was big, and she sliced it every time it came close to her.

  Soon, she had cut it several times, and venomous blood oozed from the body. It was vile and nasty. All the creatures they dealt with had been so far, minus the sphinx. That had been fun.

  Ziva and the others slowly made work of the beast. The longer they fought, the slower the snake-like creature became. The thing was just weird.

  As it slowed, the angels took to the air. Ziva didn’t see who, but someone fired a bow and hit the eyes. They were free of the eyes.

  Ziva and Desiree made their move, one they had talked about in the past. Desiree got close to the basilisk, and Ziva sprinted at her. Desiree spring-boarded Ziva into the air, and Ziva sliced the beast at the neck on her way up and then plunged her daggers into the top of the head.

  The creature was dead.

  That was much easier than she had thought it would be, but two of her loves had fallen victim.

  She walked over to Ai and Kaiden. They were both still frozen in place. Their eyes moved, and they seemed to understand what was going on around them.

  All the angels and Orlas was next to her and Desiree.

  “How long will they be like that?” Ziva asked. “I thought once that thing was dead, they would be fine.”

  “Please tell me they will be fine,” Desiree said.

  “They will,” Zaphkiel said, “but it will be several hours. Best to set up and camp for the night.”

  “Okay,” Ziva said. She was fine so long as she had them both back. She couldn’t handle losing them. She just couldn’t.

  That night, Desiree and Ziva sat in the tent. Desiree was nervous. They all but had the Crown of Thorns, and Kaiden was suffering from tunnel vision and not keeping his eye on the fact they had to die.

  “We need to get the grail,” Desiree said.

  Ziva nodded. “You know that I agree with you.”

  “While they are frozen, let's go. You and I.” Desiree held her breath. She wasn’t sure what Ziva would say. “We are close, and they almost have the crown. Kaiden and Ai will understand if we don’t get back in time.”

  Ziva breathed deeply. “I both want to go, and I don’t. This is so tough.”

  Desiree knew the feeling and understood what she was going through, what she feared. Losing Ai and Kaiden was the last thing either of them wanted. Desiree was already in hot water after her stunt on the other side of the wall.

  That had been a week ago, but it felt like a different life. Between the succubus, the hellhounds, the sphinx, and the basilisk, so much had happened. After so much time with Kaiden, Ai, and Ziva, even the angels, Desiree was growing to be used to them.

  “We can get it,” Desiree said.

  “This is dangerous.” Ziva eyed her and gave Desiree a disapproving look.

  “But it could save us and maybe let us come back from hell.”

  “I know it could. You know I think we should, but leaving them just isn’t right. When you did, we all were so upset.”

  Desiree groaned. She hated that she hurt them. “I know, but they won’t even know we’re gone.”

  “How sure are you that we can do this?”

  Honestly, Desiree wasn’t sure. “One hundred percent,” she lied.

  “Fine,” Ziva said.

  They exited the tent and headed to the west and then north. That was the direction Kaiden would look whenever the grail was mentioned. They had only made it a few hundred feet before both Orlas and Muriel were there.

  “What do you think you are doing?” Muriel asked.

  Orlas gave Desiree a knowing look.

  This was off to a terrible start. They needed the Holy Grail. Desiree was sure of that. Her best friend and lover Ziva had to be as well. She was the one who had first suggested the grail. They were going to steal it. That was a crazy thought, stealing one of the holiest artifacts in the history of humankind.

  There were some many legends about the power of the grail from the legends of King Arthur and his knights to Monty Python. It was in all of the books and movies Desiree read and watched. She couldn’t believe all the stories about it, but she saw the power it gave. Kaiden was at a new level, and it was beyond measure.

  “We are going to get the Holy Grail,” Ziva said.

  The angel and demon eyed her.

  “What in the world are you thinking?” Muriel asked.

  “We need it,” Desiree said. “We have to try.”

  They couldn’t just sit idle and let the Crown of Thorns kill them. She wouldn’t allow it. Kaiden was being too single-minded right now. He was relying too much on the prophecy and the Chosen One status.

  “It might h
elp,” Orlas said. “We should aid them.”

  Muriel narrowed her eyebrows and glared at the demon. “Orlas, you really are a demon even before you turned.”

  The demon shrugged and gave a slight smile. “What can I say? I love doing what I’m not supposed to do.”

  Desiree couldn’t help but giggle. That was why both she and Orlas got along so well. She loved her demon. Not in the way that Desiree loved Kaiden, Ziva, and Ai, but still she loved the demon. Orlas was a part of her and fed her drive.

  “Orlas,” Muriel said, “we can’t just take the Holy Grail.”

  The demon laughed. “Sure, we can. Nothing says we can’t.”

  Muriel sighed. “It is against holy law, and it just feels wrong.”

  Desiree didn’t care if it was wrong or not. It was required.

  “I’m going,” Desiree said. “With or without you.”

  “Me too,” Ziva said, “and I would like to be back before the others recover.”

  That would be ideal because then the others couldn’t be mad at them.

  “I cannot convince you otherwise, can I?” Muriel asked. When they shook their heads, the angel sighed. “Very well. Follow me.”

  Desiree was pleased. They were off to get the Holy Grail, and it was going to be their salvation. She just knew it.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  They arrived in front of a large temple, it was one of the grandest things Ziva had ever seen. She was blown away by it all.

  Slowly, they made their way to the temple, when they were suddenly surrounded by spirit leaves, or at least that was what she assumed they were. Kaiden had spoken about his trip here. Even so, she wasn’t ready for them, and this was the just the first step for their attempt to steal the grail.

  Hours later, Ziva and others returned to the campsite. It had been rough, and Ziva didn’t want to think about what had just happened.

  At least they had made it back in time. Zaphkiel was pacing back and forth in front of Kaiden and Ai. They were still frozen in place, but they looked different, better.

  “How much longer?” Ziva asked.

  She walked right in front of Kaiden and Ai. The blond-haired woman couldn’t bear to see them like this.