Angel of Darkness Books 1-5

by Mackenzie Morris

  Chapter 5

  Jaylen hit the floor of his house on his back when Zeriel roughly threw him through the doorway then slammed the door shut behind him. He was still crying when he scurried to the door and pounded on it. "Zeriel, open the door. Don't leave me here." He tried to open it, but it was locked. "You locked me in here? Zeriel, you can't do this!"

  "No, Jaylen. You can't do this. Your behavior today was completely inexcusable. No wonder other angels didn't want to serve you. Now I'm questioning my decision to do so as well. How in the world did you survive the Divinity Trial? You are immature, whiny, and the single most incapable paladin I have ever met. I have half a mind to abandon you and let the clergy dispose of you. You're hopeless."

  "No!" Jaylen cried out as he held onto the doorknob and wept into the wood. "I'm not hopeless. I'm not. I'm trying!"

  "If you were trying, you would at least have learned to listen to those who have done this before. I know how to serve a paladin and help to hone you into a beacon of divine light. The fault here is not on my shoulders, Jaylen. If you knew you weren't prepared for this life, then why did you pursue it? What made you want to be a paladin at fifteen?"

  "My father. He was a paladin who failed. He failed because he broke his vows and then he died mysteriously before he could atone for his sins. I had to take his place in the Holy Order and defend my family name. He was the king's brother and his failure tarnished the royal family. I had to do something."

  "But was this the correct option?" Zeriel asked from outside. "So far, you are failing just as bad as he did, if not worse. You do realize that you committed one of the severest crimes you could have committed, don't you? You hit a Holy Angel. And in public, no less. You slapped your angel. Tarael had every reason to kill you right there and he would have been proclaimed a hero for it. The path you have started down is one that will only lead to darkness. Paladins don't behave the way you have. Tainted do."

  "I'm not Tainted!" Jaylen screamed as he tore at his hair.

  "Then prove it, Jaylen. Show everyone that you aren't the spoiled brat you acted like today. I have only been in your life for a week, but I know there is goodness inside of you. You have to dig deep to find that again. Be the man I saved on that altar and vowed to serve through everything. You depend on me, but I depend on you as well. Angels depend on their paladins to please the Angelic Court and Sola herself. The bond you and I have is meant to be the tightest and most holy of all bonds, not one plagued by hatred and vitriol. We have to rely on each other to hold back the waves of demonic forces, not be controlled and corrupted by them."

  "I'm sorry."

  "You owe me much more than words, Jaylen. I could have been like every other angel who stayed silent as the high priest called out their names. They didn't want to be burdened by you, but I alone gave you a chance. Never forget that you would be dead if not for me."

  Jaylen slid down to the floor and held his knees to his chest as he silently cried. There was nothing else he could have done. Nothing he did seemed good enough for anyone. Even when he attempted to do the work of an honorable paladin, one tiny mistake was inflated to be so much more than it truly was. Every person in the country was looking to him for guidance and critiquing every breath he breathed. How could he have known that was what awaited him when he agreed to go through the trial? He should have listened to the other paladins and their warnings about him being too young for this.

  "Jaylen, are you there?"

  Instead of answering, Jaylen crawled across the house until he climbed up into bed and cried himself to sleep.

  * * *

  Zeriel stood at the foot of the bed as he watched his young paladin sleeping. The boy looked so young, so innocent. That unsullied purity was what made him take the risk to serve such a young man. No matter what standards other paladins were held to, Zeriel had to remember that Jaylen was still only a child. He was a child that needed not just discipline and structure, but love and understanding as well. It had only been a week since their bonding, but he felt an undeniable connection to Jaylen. This was going to be the most difficult time of Zeriel's existence and he knew it. However, he was willing to continue on with it . . . for Doran's sake.

  If only Doran could see his son now. Zeriel knew he would be proud, despite everything. Jaylen looked so much like him. He inherited a lot from Doran . . . hopefully not too much. That was a chapter in Zeriel's life that he didn't want to relive. As his thoughts wandered back to his memories, his hand reached up to his head and his fingers found the deep scar that his hair managed to hide. That is why paladins were not allowed to strike their angels. Desperation led angels to do things they never intended to do. And despite the youthful innocence that Jaylen embodied, Zeriel saw that same kind of violence earlier. When it came to angels, even self defense was against the laws of Sola. That was something Zeriel knew all too well. That is why he could not fail again.

  Zeriel felt something hit the top of his boot. Another feather. He picked it up and sighed as he smoothed the white feather between his fingers. He was running out of time. There were only four years left before The Cleansing where the paladins would be sacrificed to appease Sola and bring back the sun. Zeriel's plans were already in motion, but would they be enough? Before anyone saw the feather, he hid it in the bottom drawer of Jaylen's dresser . . . along with the growing pile of others.

  Jaylen shifted below the blankets and moaned as he reached out into the darkness. "Zeriel?"

  "I'm right here, Jaylen."

  "Are you mad at me?"

  Zeriel sighed as he sat on the edge of the bed and surrounded Jaylen with his wings. "I'm not mad. I got frustrated earlier."

  "No. You were angry. I remember my father yelling at me like that before he died. That's one of the only memories I have of him. I was eight then, I think. It was only a few days after he first hit me that he died. I didn't know what to do. At first, I think I was happy. He couldn't hurt my mom anymore like he had been. They always argued and fought. He would push her around and spit on her, call her names. I stood up for her and took a hit to my jaw. It fractured. The healers couldn't fully heal it. That's why I can't eat very quickly now. It doesn't work right and it hurts sometimes. It's not a big deal, but it shouldn't have happened."

  "Why are you telling me this?" Zeriel asked.

  "Because I want you to know that I don't want to be like him. My father was such a good man. He was a noble paladin who served Vilyron faithfully. But he made a mistake. That mistake led to other mistakes. I should have learned from him that I can't make mistakes."

  "Everyone makes mistakes, Jaylen. You have to be a man and take responsibility for your actions. Learn from your mistakes."

  "Okay. I will." Jaylen slipped out of bed then removed his chainmail that he had fallen asleep in. Once he pulled off his shirt, he placed his hands on the wall. "Go ahead. I deserve it."

  Zeriel watched his Master breathing heavily and his lean muscles tensing, anticipating the first hit. "Get dressed, Jay. I'm not going to whip you."

  "But you said I have to learn. I want this. Don't treat me any differently than you would your other paladins."

  "I've only had one other paladin, like I told you. He was a completely different case. I have to deal with you in a different way. You calming down and having the respect to talk with me about this proves to me that you are able to learn without physical punishment. Put your shirt on and get ready to leave. You were asleep for four hours, so we still have time to investigate the vampire coven."

  "Are you sure I'm ready?"

  "We will certainly see, won't we?"

  Jaylen proceeded to dash around the house, pulling his chainmail back on and rounding up his sword and other equipment. "How long will we be gone?"

  "Six hours at least. Pack some food and water just in case."

  "Do you need anything?" Jaylen asked as he folded up a spare set of clothing and shoved it into his backpack.

  "Nope, just you." Zeriel thought he saw a smile
spread across his paladin's lips. Good. Maybe he wasn't too harsh with the boy. It wasn't his job to instill fear into him, just to guide him along the right path. As he watched Jaylen packing, Zeriel went into the bathroom to check his wings in the mirror. They weren't looking too bad today. As long as it didn't rain or they had to go underwater, he would be fine. He buttoned the ruby buttons on his ankle-length black coat then pulled on his knee-high leather boots. It was only getting colder the longer the sun was gone. Even the residual heat that the paladins managed to harness and trap in the atmosphere was beginning to fade.

  "I'm ready, Zeriel!" Jaylen called from the other room. "There's another angel outside. It's the strange one from earlier who tried to kill me. Can you make him go away?"

  Zeriel rolled his eyes as he stormed to the front door and stepped out into the snow. "What do you want?"

  Tarael grinned as he twirled a yellow rose between his fingers. "You didn't actually think I would let you go demon hunting without me, did you? My paladin is spending the night with his brothers in the tavern, so I figured I would get in some demon killing while I waited for him to need me."

  "We don't need any help, Tara."

  Tarael chuckled darkly as he watched Jaylen emerge from the house. "Well, well, well . . . I see your disrespectful paladin is still able to walk. I need to teach you how to use a whip, Zeriel."

  "I punished him how he needed to be punished. It's done. Time to move on."

  "I guess you're right. He looks mighty downtrodden."

  "Do you whip your paladin?" Zeriel asked, putting his arm protectively around Jaylen's shoulders.

  "Paladin Kros? No way. Are you kidding? He's a warrior. He's fierce and already trained in the fires of battle. That man needs no one to keep him on the straight path. I was lucky in that respect. He knows how to give me orders that I can actually do something with. It is an honor to serve him. Don't you wish you could say the same about yours?"

  "Jaylen may be young and inexperienced, but I do view serving him as a great honor. He may not look like much now, but give him a few years. I know he will grow up to be a great man."

  "But you're his angel, not his father." Tarael slipped the rose into his flowing brown locks. "Sola didn't send us here to play babysitter."

  "What do you want, Tara?"

  Tarael pranced around Zeriel and began speaking in a sing-song voice. "I heard a rumor. I heard a nasty little rumor."

  "I'm sure. There are plenty of those going around." Zeriel backed away from him. "Don't touch me."

  "What's wrong? Afraid I'll find out your secret?"

  Zeriel crossed his arms and glared at him. "Angels don't have secrets."

  "Are you sure about that, Zeriel?"

  "Leave him alone, you big bully." Oviel said as he landed gracefully on the fencepost, followed by Axa's less than graceful blundering that sent both of them toppling into the snow.

  Tarael glided over to the two giggling angels and helped Axa to his feet. "By Sola's rays! Axaniel, you reek of alcohol."

  "Yep!"

  Jaylen tugged on Zeriel's coat sleeve. "Is Axaniel somehow a Fallen?"

  "No. Just stupid. There aren't any rules prohibiting angels from getting drunk. They just usually have their paladins to keep them from doing so."

  Tarael frowned as he brushed the snow from his pink robe. "Well, as much as I would love to stay here with you three blundering idiots, I prefer to ally myself with angels of higher standards. And Zeriel? Make sure you keep a tight leash on your little paladin. It would be a shame for someone or something to get their claws on him. Vampires seem to like feisty prey."

  Chapter 6

  After dragging a very drunk and unruly angel inside Jaylen's house and putting him in bed where he couldn't hurt himself, Jaylen, Zeriel, and Oviel formed a plan of action to find the vampire coven. Jaylen jumped onto Zeriel's back and they took off into the sky with Oviel flying at their side. Away from the city, the cold day was as dark as any night. The only light was from the millions of stars high up in the atmosphere above the thin hazy clouds. The snow had tapered off a couple of hours ago, much to Jaylen's delight. It's not that he hated riding on Zeriel's back or in his arms, but the frigid winds chilled him to the bone.

  "You doing okay back there, Jaylen?" Zeriel asked.

  Through chattering teeth, Jaylen simply moaned and held on tighter. After what seemed like an eternity of flying to a very cold grave, they dropped down closer to the ground and Zeriel landed. "Here?" Jaylen slid off of Zeriel's back then spun around as he looked at the snow-covered mountains in the distance. "There's nothing out here but snow."

  Oviel held out his hand where a spark of purple mage-glow sprung to life. "Sometimes things aren't always as they seem. Remember the beings you are hunting, Jaylen. Vampires have long ago learned to disguise their covens and render them nearly invisible to the human eye. Luckily, you have two angels here to track the beasts."

  Zeriel snapped his fingers as his hands glowed with purple light as well. "Is that why you tagged along with us, Oviel? To help hunt vampires? Or is there another motive?"

  "You know me too well, Zeriel. Nothing I do is for the apparent reason. I figured that if I came along to offer my help, that you would then be obligated to return the favor. I have expert knowledge dealing with vampires, as you know."

  "What kind of favor would you need me for?" Zeriel asked as he swept his purple mage-glow around the area.

  "Not you. I require the use of your paladin."

  "Me?" Jaylen asked. "Why me? You have your own paladin."

  "Yes, but Paladin Liam isn't interested in the research I have been slaving away on for years. He is more of a physical world scholar. I thought that you might be more apt to lend a hand, Jaylen."

  "What kind of research is it?"

  "Spell weaving."

  Jaylen felt uneasy. "Spell weaving?"

  "The art of using your light magic to distort the physical world, not just influence it. We make things permanent and impactful. Two examples. Instead of using your light magic to simulate anesthetic herbs on a wound, you awaken the dead cells in the body and force them to automatically regenerate. Instead of casting mage-glow, you create a minor tear in the atmosphere then siphon tiny bits of power from a nearby star to deliver a permanent orb of light and heat that would provide light for the entire city at once."

  "Isn't that against the teachings of Sola? We are supposed to use our abilities as they are given to us. I vowed that I wouldn't use demonic forces to alter my magic."

  "Who said anything about demons? What are you teaching the boy, Zeriel?"

  Zeriel shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know where he gets this stuff."

  "If I was doing anything wrong, Sola would have informed me by now. I am a spell weaver . . . the only spell weaver. As an angel, most of my magic force is tied up in simply being an angel. There's not much I can accomplish on my own outside of a few tasks here and there, mainly medical uses. But a human with the vast amounts of mental capacity that you have could be capable of magnificent things. With some soul tampering, of course."

  "Soul tampering?" Jaylen asked timidly. "That sounds awful."

  Oviel waved his hand dismissively. "Only when done by the wrong hands. Think of it this way. If I mess up, you will be dying in four years anyway to The Cleansing. No harm done. But if I do it right, then you will be a force to be reckoned with and able to do some actual good in the next four years. Soul tampering allows me to imbue you with even greater light magic and open parts of your soul that are dormant right now. It makes you more sensitive to powers of the otherworld. As long as you aren't marked by a demon or Tainted, then you have nothing to worry about."

  Zeriel grumbled something under his breath that neither of the other two could make out.

  "What was that?" Oviel asked.

  "Nothing." Zeriel patted something with his hand in mid air then shined his purple mage-glow, revealing a shimmering clear door that stood out of the snow. "Ah, here we ar
e. I found the entrance to the vampire coven. We will discuss this later. Oviel, you go in first and assess the situation. Remember what we are here for. We need to find out if any of Ilyan's paladins have joined the vampires. We also have to find any hostages they may have taken from the city to use as food."

  "Good." Oviel approached the door and pried it open. "Follow me closely. Once we pass through the barrier, everything will be revealed. This is actually a cave in the side of the hill. You just wouldn't know it by looking at it from this side."

  Moss hung from the top of the wet grey stones as melted snow dripped down through the crevasses into stagnant pools on the floor. Far down the tunnel, a distant female scream echoed and sent a chill down Jaylen's spine. The musty smell and the scent he could only describe as rancid old blood did little to calm his nerves. The longer they walked down the slime-encrusted tunnels, the more Jaylen's stomach turned. He became nauseous as they got closer to the screaming and peeked around a stalagmite.

  The room below them was filled with vampires in black robes with hoods pulled down over their faces. Their glowing red eyes smoldered like embers in the darkness as they stared hungrily at the female human chained to the stone altar between the hovering balls of red mage-glow. Weapon racks lined the walls of the cavern, filled with various curved daggers and needles like the ones Jaylen had seen used by healers to draw blood. That wasn't exactly surprising, seeing as the beings using them were vampires.

  The head vampire with a high black lace collar held his black-bladed dagger above the squirming woman who had tears pooling under her hair on the altar. He chanted in a language that Jaylen had never heard before as the others joined in.

  "What are they saying?" Jaylen asked.

  "It's a vampire chant they say before they feed. That poor woman there is their dinner."

  He couldn't let the woman die here. "Aren't we going to save her?"

  "And risk you taking her place?" Oviel asked. "No way. We will go look around in the cells over there where they usually keep their prisoners while they are distracted by eating the woman. It gives us a perfect cover."