"Jaylen? You think I'm after Jaylen?"
"I know you are. If that demon in the castle was your thrall, as you claim, then you were controlling it. Did you think that I would live with my paladin, bathe him, and dress him and not notice the gryphon mark on his back? And guess who has a gryphon? You."
"Okay, yes. You're right. I had my thrall mark him for me."
"Why?"
Gavin coughed a couple of times and dropped to his knees. "I can't tell you!"
"You'd better tell me and tell me right now, or I will finish you. I will cut you up into tiny little pieces so you can never hurt anyone ever again."
"Incubi don't deal in pain." Gavin grinned, flashing his bright white fangs. "We deal in pleasure."
"You deal in lies!"
"Believe what you will. Oh, I forgot. You angels are so self-righteous that you can't even think for yourselves. You believe every single little thing Sola tells you, whether it is right or not."
"What does an incubus want with a chaste young man?" Zeriel asked. "You can't impregnate him like you do with your typical prey. He won't be able to carry and give birth to your twisted demon spawn. So tell me why you have your demonic mark on my paladin's back."
"Why do you have a sun sigil on your wrist that matches the one on Jaylen's chest? Because you agreed to take it. You saw potential. When I see that kind of opportunity, I make an investment. You still have primary control over Jaylen. That's fine. But I have a share in him as well. As time goes by and if things go the way I think they will, I will have a nice return on my investment and collect the profits."
"And what profit is that? What kind of corrupted currency are you dealing in, incubus?"
Gavin's eyes sparked with passion from behind his white mask. "Soul segments."
There was no way in Hell Zeriel was going to let any segment of Jaylen's soul be darkened by a demon. "You're dead!"
"Think for a minute. I only want a couple. Let me have the magic from only a few segments. That's all I want."
"I will die before I see Jaylen's soul be torn apart. It will remain whole, so help me Sola."
"And then what?" Gavin asked. "Once Jaylen dies in four years to The Cleansing, his soul will be void and worthless."
"It will have worth to Sola. Jaylen deserves to have his soul in Heaven so it can be divided amongst the Holy Angels, not torn apart by greedy, ravenous demons. You will have to get your power from another source, incubus."
"I don't let angels control me!"
Before Zeriel could move or deflect them, both daggers flew through the air and were buried to the hilts in his shoulders. He crumpled to the ground as the red blood splattered onto the snow. With a rage-fueled cry, he ripped the knives from his shoulders and threw them down as he struggled to control his breathing. He turned around when he heard footsteps crunching in the snow. Jaylen. "Go back home, Jaylen."
"No." Jaylen drew his longsword and held out his left hand that was glowing with bright white light towards Gavin. "I will not let you die here, Zeriel. I will fight him in your place while you cannot. I am a paladin. It is my job to kill demonic beings like this."
The incubus crawled through the deepening snow, leaving a trail of dark purple blood behind him. "But . . . but my name is Gavin. I'm not trying to hurt either one of you. I saved Jaylen. Why would I do that if I'm purely evil? Give me a chance!"
"I will destroy you, Gavin!"
Gavin's smile vanished as he shakily stood to his feet and coughed up more purple blood. He pulled off his gloves and pressed his hand to the wound. The entire front of his black tunic was glistening and wet with his blood. With trembling fingers, he untied his tunic and pulled it over his head, revealing the tight white half-shirt that stopped above his pierced navel that was adorned with sparkling orange gemstones, the same blazing color as his eyes. The deep gash from Zeriel's bow was across his left hip bone and up to his ribs.
Jaylen gasped. "He's hurt badly."
"Don't have any mercy for that beast." Zeriel snapped. "What is wrong with you? Finish it. Kill him, Jaylen!"
Jaylen's sword landed at Zeriel's feet in the snow. "No."
Gavin grinned darkly as he began to trace something on the palm of his hand. His eyes never left Jaylen as an orange light grew and danced in the middle of his hand. "Yes, Jaylen. Show me mercy. You know I haven't done anything wrong. Your angel is the one who is causing a ruckus for no reason. Let me live. I saved your life from the vampires. Now, be a good boy and order your angel to give up the fight. Go home. It's too cold out here for you to be traipsing about for nothing. Being a paladin isn't always about killing. Sometimes it's about showing mercy to those who even the clergy deems to be unworthy. Don't forget, Jaylen. The Holy Order originally rejected your attempts to join. They claimed you were too young to be a paladin. They rejected you just as Sola has rejected me. We are one in the same. I'm not a threat to anyone here. Let me live and I will leave."
Zeriel's anger climbed to new heights. "Stop with your lies and brainwashing. You're doing something to his mind!"
Jaylen picked up his sword and swung the blade at Zeriel, stopping with the tip pressed against his chest. "Go home, Zeriel. We are done here."
"Are you threatening me?" Zeriel asked.
"I said go home. We are leaving. Gavin, stop whatever you are doing with your hands and dark magic. Get on your gryphon and leave before I am forced to do something I don't want to do."
Zeriel's mouth fell open as he stared in shock at his Master. To what was he referring? Killing the incubus . . . or something much worse? Jaylen's sword wasn't currently aimed at the incubus's heart. It was aimed at his. There was no point in staying here where things could grow out of hand more than they already were. Flashes of Doran sped through Zeriel's mind. That couldn't happen again. He wouldn't let it happen again. Reluctantly, Zeriel admitted defeat for his paladin's sake and lowered his wings. This fight would have to wait until another day when the risks weren't so great. Jaylen's soul was more important than dominating a prideful demon.
Gavin stumbled across the street to his gryphon and slowly mounted it. Taking the leather reigns in his hands, he mockingly bowed to them. "Farewell, Jaylen and Zeriel. I guarantee we will be meeting again very soon. Don't forget about our payment agreement, Jaylen. I only need one. Oh, and Zeriel? You probably want to get inside and dry your wings off before your unfortunate condition is made even more obvious. It's a shame that dark and light can never remain untouched by the other, don't you think? But I believe that the direct boundary where both collide can be the most beautiful in existence."
They watched Gavin fly off on the back of his gryphon before Jaylen thrust his sword into Zeriel's arms. "Take this back to the house."
"Where are you going?"
"To the temple. I have to pray about some things."
Jaylen's normally innocent and positive demeanor was replaced by a dark solemnity that even reflected in his deep blue eyes. It was beyond troubling to Zeriel. "Are you okay?"
He brushed the snow from his blond bangs and trudged across the street towards the temple. "Go home. That's an order. It's about time that you start obeying me as your Master."
Zeriel stood up, still very much in pain from his knife wounds. "What did Gavin do to you? If he touched you or did things to you, I need to know. I can help you."
"It wasn't him."
"So it did happen? Who hurt you, Jaylen?"
"You'd know all about it, wouldn't you?" Jaylen asked. "You say you can help me? Why don't you start by telling me the truth? Did you think I was completely stupid or oblivious to the coincidences here? Who was my father to you? You know who he was, don't you?"
There was no hiding the truth then. "He was my paladin."
"Then I guess he never told you about what he did to me, did he? How I can never be pure because of what he did when he was drunk? No. I've experienced too much to be pure. Those nights when my mother was passed out in the living room and Doran made me share his be
d . . . I wanted to die. I prayed for an angel to save me, but you never came. You were living in the shed out back, but you never came to save me. How many nights did you hear me screaming and crying myself to sleep as your paladin did horrible things to me? Huh? Tell me! My father always told me that he had his angel live so far away because he wanted independence. Now I know it was all because he didn't want you to save me. Yes, I knew he had an angel. I just didn't know it was you!"
Zeriel's heart sank as he watched the tears swell in Jaylen's eyes. "I never knew. Believe me, Jaylen. I never knew it was that bad."
Jaylen's face turned red as he yelled at him. "That bad? That bad! Any degree of that was abhorrent, but you didn't step in. Why?"
"It wasn't my place."
"It wasn't your place?" Jaylen asked through his tears. "So you did know."
"You're still pure, Jaylen. What Doran did to you doesn't take away the purity of your vows. You still have your virginity, do you not?"
"Barely. He didn't go that far."
"Then that's all that matters." Zeriel took the boy in his arms and held him as he cried. "What brought all this up? You really hate your father, don't you?"
"The incubus did something to my mind and brought all of my memories back about those things. It hurts."
"I know. But listen to me. I didn't know everything that was going on between you and Doran. I barely even knew you existed. Before you were seven or so, Doran and I were out in the countryside securing borders with the other paladins for years at a time. That's why you don't remember him being in your life except for those awful times."
"Did you decide to be my angel because you were my father's angel?" Jaylen asked.
"No. I wanted to separate myself as far away from Doran as I could after his death. I honestly decided to serve you because I saw innocence, purity, and potential. Yes, I saw purity. Just because someone touched you like they shouldn't have doesn't mean you aren't pure, Jaylen." Zeriel lifted Jaylen up in his arms and flew up into the sky. "You can pray tomorrow, Master. You need a night of relaxation and recovery. You've been through too much today. I will take care of everything."
Chapter 9
After a warm bath and some praying at the small altar in the living room, Jaylen was feeling a bit better. He even developed an appetite, so he sat at the table in the kitchen and busied his mind with solving math problems while Zeriel was cooking. Even with his thoughts on numbers and equations, Jaylen absentmindedly rubbed his jaw that continued to hurt. It only made him hate his father more. He also hated Gavin for making those repressed memories return. Jaylen had been doing so well as he tried to forget them for years, to deny that any of it happened. The realization he was having to face was that he couldn't run from his past forever.
Zeriel sat down a tray of cornbread, a bowl of beef stew, and a small chocolate cake. "Working on school work?"
Jaylen tried his best to ignore him.
"Cheer up, Jay. I made you a cake. It's all yours. I know you love cake."
Jaylen only sighed and continued working. He couldn't have cared less about the cake.
Zeriel sat on the opposite side of the table. "Come on, Jay. Please. You haven't said a word to me since we got home. I know you're hurting, but you can't let yourself be so overwhelmed by this."
"How did he die?"
Zeriel spread butter on the cornbread for Jaylen and slid the plate across the table. "I don't know. No one knows."
"Angels don't lie, right?" Jaylen asked.
"That's right. Doran died. But no one knows why, including me. Now, eat. You're starving. If you're going to keep up with the other paladins in the physical training meetings, you need to eat and keep your muscles. I'm worried about you. Is your jaw hurting you?"
Jaylen rubbed the right side of his jaw. "It always hurts."
"That's why I made things that should be easy for you to chew. Are you taking any pain medicine for it? I can take you to the apothecary if you need something."
"None of it works. I've tried everything he has, but none of it helps. I even had another paladin use his light magic on me. Nothing worked. It's not a big deal if I'm going to die in four years anyway." Jaylen slowly started eating the stew as he felt Zeriel's eyes watching him closely. "What?"
"Just watching you. I'm trying to learn what things I can do to help you."
"Maybe I don't want your help. I'm a paladin. I should be a man and be able to take care of myself. I feel so useless."
"You shouldn't. Even your father needed help. He didn't get that help and look what happened to him. Don't be like Doran. Sometimes the strongest thing you can do is realize when you need help."
Jaylen set the spoon down in the bowl. "Is there something on my back? I couldn't really see in the mirror. I know you won't lie to me. What is it?"
"There is nothing on your back. Angels don't lie."
"You're lying to me."
"Never." Zeriel said. "Jaylen, I will never lie to you."
"Okay. Don't betray me, Zeriel."
"I vowed myself to you. I will not betray you."
There was a knock on the front door and a turquoise-winged angel with long white hair entered. "Hey there, you two."
Jaylen set his pen down. "Hello, Oviel. Come on in."
"Hello, Jaylen. I hope you are feeling better?" Oviel asked.
Zeriel cleaned the dishes off of the table. "He was about to go to bed and get some much-needed sleep. You know the kind of day he has had."
"That's actually what I wanted to talk to you two about. Have you thought about my proposition earlier?"
"Turning my young paladin into a spell weaver?" Zeriel began humming a slow mysterious song as he washed the dishes in the sink. After a few minutes, he set the bowls aside and wiped his hands on a towel. "This plan of yours . . . it won't harm his soul segments, will it?"
"Not those of pure paladins like him."
"Tell me the risks."
"Well, if I introduce too much light magic too quickly, the sudden influx of energy could send him into cardiac arrest."
"Let me ask it this way." Zeriel said. "Give me the worst case scenario. Say you were doing this to a Tainted, a demon-controlled paladin. What would happen then?"
"It could open a rift between the human world and the otherworld that would flood this world with the more dangerous demons that are usually kept out. Dyvaes and Xinis are so enraptured in their darkness that they are normally not able to cross over the thin barriers like succubi, incubi, wraiths, hell hounds, vampires, and elves are. Dyvaes take the form of butterflies and can possess children just by touching them. There don't have to be any rituals or even eye contact. Xinis are formless, colorless, odorless, and nearly undetectable. Once a flock of Xinis come in contact with a village, horrible things begin to happen to the areas they attach themselves to. A poisoned well here, a series of suicides there, or a string of miscarriages in a short amount of time. However, the odds of a rift like that forming from Jaylen are zero."
"Unless he is corrupted in some way."
"Exactly. So there's nothing to worry about."
Jaylen closed his notebook and stretched as he yawned. "Why come here this late to tell us this?"
"Because the process will work better if you are exhausted physically and mentally. You kind of fit that right now, don't you?"
Zeriel scowled. "You want to do this now?"
Oviel set down his bag on the table and began removing vials, herbs, and syringes. "I have everything with me. It's a process that will only take about two hours. The only other ingredient I need is an angel feather."
"Why?"
"It's just part of the formula. I figured you would want Jaylen to use one of yours."
Zeriel groaned as he paced across the room, wringing his hands together nervously. "I don't like this."
"Do I not get a say in this?" Jaylen asked as he eyed the growing pile of instruments and chemicals being lined up in front of him.
"You want this. You just don'
t know it yet. Come on, Zeriel. Explain the possible benefits to the boy. You agree that this could be very helpful to all of Vilyron. What if the werewolves from Wolfekin attack again? Jaylen could create a barrier to keep them out. This is a good thing any way you look at it. The risks are nearly non-existent."
Jaylen picked up a vial filled with a congealed red substance. "Will it hurt me?"
"You will be unconscious for most of it. After an initial few minutes of . . . sensations, you won't feel a thing."
Zeriel stood at the table with hands on his hips as he examined the ingredients. "Let's see here, I know some of these. Crushed unicorn horn, imp venom, dried garlic, mercury, salt, swamp fungus spores, and what's this? Oh, I see. Elf blood."
"And many more. Jaylen, if you will get undressed, I will quickly explain the process in the simplest way I can. I discovered the basis for this recipe while my paladin was researching ancient native druid texts from the rainforest biomes down in the southern regions. Of course, I perfected it over time."
"Wait. You've done this on children before?" Zeriel asked.
"Um . . . no. Only on adult prisoners in the dungeons. With King Talyn's blessing, of course. But Jaylen is a teenager. His body should be able to handle this."
"Should? I don't like taking risks like this, Oviel."
"Have I ever done anything that I didn't adequately research beforehand?" Oviel asked.
"You're right. I guess I should trust you."
Oviel emptied the vials and pouches of ingredients into a stone mortar. "First, I will combine all the pre-measured ingredients and mull them into a liquefied paste. That paste will then go into three different syringes. One syringe will be heated over a flame, one will be placed outside in the snow until it nearly freezes, and the last one will be imbued with light magic."
Zeriel picked up an eight-inch long needle. "Are these the needles for the syringes?"
"Oh, yes."
"They're huge."
"I was getting to that part. Each syringe will be injected directly into Jaylen's heart."
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