"Give us one reason why we shouldn't use Heaven's Sword to end your unholy life and cut up your soul like the garbage it is."
Zeriel watched as an angel handed the golden sword to Tarael. "That's his sword! For Sola's sake, you have to be kidding me. That's my father's sword. He brought it here. Carvael, get out here and reveal yourself. This isn't funny."
"Cease your mind games, Zeriel." Carvael emerged from a side door and took his place at the front desk next to Tarael. He smirked as he sat down then leaned back in his chair. "What did you do with Archangel Carvael?"
"You are Archangel Carvael! This is insane. Why are you wasting my time with this? If you've already found me guilty, then get on with the sentencing. There is no reason to prolong this."
"So you are confessing to all of your crimes, including the murder of Archangel Carvael?" Carvael asked.
Zeriel glared at his father who was obviously amused and proud of this spectacle. "Why are you doing this, Dad? I know I failed you and I know I've made some very grievous mistakes. I know I've failed all of you and given angels a terrible name. But your behavior isn't very angelic either. Don't play around like children. Let me speak with Sola."
"No one meets with Sola except the incubi. And unless you . . . unless you . . ." Tarael stopped speaking as the words slurred and he dropped his gavel to the floor. He collapsed behind his desk and stayed there seemingly lifeless.
Zeriel watched the other angels' eyes close and their wings droop. "Hello?"
One by one, the angels slumped over their desks, some falling out of their chairs and landing on the floor. After a minute, they were motionless in various states of unconsciousness. From behind one of the white columns that surrounded the room, Gavin emerged with a grin on his face, showing off his pointed teeth. "Well, that worked. Good job, honey."
Liaxa joined his side then slid a large glass vial from her belt and winked at Zeriel. "One more for good measure, just to make sure they're nice and asleep for a while." She tossed it into the middle of the room. It shattered and let out a fine, nearly invisible mist.
"Why isn't that affecting me?" Zeriel asked.
"You're Fallen. It's demon magic, so it won't bother you. Oh, yeah. We forgot to welcome you to the ranks of our demonic brethren." Liaxa bowed. "So, how does it feel to embrace your dark side?"
"What?" Zeriel's panic awakened anew. "Wait. That doesn't matter right now. Come on. We have to get back to Ilyan and find Oviel. Jaylen's been seriously injured. He's close to death. I have to find him. Oviel has been hurt too."
"Calm down, Zeriel." Gavin patted his arm affectionately. "We know where they both are. Oviel is okay and healing well. He's the one who told us where you had been taken."
"How did two demons sneak into Heaven?"
Liaxa went over to Tarael and plucked a large feather from his wing. "Let's just say that we're talented. Plus it helps that Sola gave Gavin a key to come and go whenever he pleases."
"Really?"
Gavin smiled and twirled in a circle. "Yep. I'm her favorite incubus."
"I will have to ask you more about that very intriguing and slightly disturbing piece of information at a later date."
Gavin held his hand in the air. "To the gryphon! I really hate how bright and happy this place is. It makes me feel all twitchy."
"But you love flashy things."
"In moderation, my dearest Fallen. In moderation."
Chapter 18
Zeriel never thought he would be so happy to leave Heaven, but as he passed through the gateway to the human world, he felt more at peace than he had in all the time he spent in Heaven as a child. It was becoming all too apparent that he didn't belong there anymore. He was quiet as he flew next to Gavin's gryphon over the mountain that encircled Vilyron. "Where are we going?"
"Remember how those vampires believe I'm their ruler?" Gavin asked.
"Oh, I don't like where this is going."
"Well, you know that their covens are practically invisible to anyone who doesn't know what signs to look for. I told Oviel to take Jaylen to the one that I had been staying in before. Don't worry about the vampires. They won't touch him. I gave them specific orders to remain docile."
"I just have to make sure he's safe."
"What happened to Jaylen?" Liaxa asked. "We know what Carvael did to Oviel."
"Jaylen faced a soul purge exorcism."
"What does that include?"
It was sickening to even recall it. "He had inch-wide spikes hammered all the way though his hands, he was branded, then he was whipped without mercy."
"Poor kid. They branded over my mark, didn't they?" Gavin asked.
"Yes. Jaylen lost so much blood. His back was completely raw and beaten down to where I could see his ribs and spine. He was so weak."
"He's in good hands. Oviel knows how to heal injuries."
"Since when are you two on such good terms?" Zeriel asked. "I thought Oviel hated all demons."
"Not true. Once he found out that I am Sola's favorite incubus, he softened up a bit and we actually had a pleasant conversation while Liaxa helped put stitches and bandages on his wounds earlier."
Liaxa had her head resting on her father's shoulder as she rode behind him on the gryphon. "So, is Jaylen going to be okay? Oviel wouldn't let us see him. He said that Jaylen was unconscious."
"You care about him?" Zeriel asked.
"Well, yeah. He seemed like a nice guy. I can't imagine someone doing that to another person."
Now seemed as good of a time as any to get some answers he had been wanting. "I have a question. Now that I'm technically a demon, I suppose I should learn more about you guys. So, Liaxa, are you a succubus?"
"Don't judge me."
"Never."
She sighed and gathered up her deep purple hair that was blowing in the wind. "Yes, I am a succubus. And before you ask, no, I'm not planning on impregnating myself with Jaylen's baby."
"That's . . . comforting. I know that no matter what happens between him and me, that he will still want to uphold his vows."
Gavin kicked the sides of his gryphon so it would fly faster. "And what do you think will happen between you and Jaylen now? He didn't know you were Fallen, did he?"
"No. He was very angry. It was his decision to turn himself over to the clergy. He would rather die than stay bonded to me. That's my fault. I failed him. He needed me to be there for him and guide him in the ways of the light, but I let him down. I was selfish and determined to get back at Carvael for all that he has put me through. I lost sight of what it meant to be a Holy Angel to a paladin. Now Jaylen is suffering for my selfishness. I deserve these black wings and I deserve to die alone where I can't hurt him anymore."
"Does that mean you are breaking your bond with Jaylen? Are you going to leave and go to Hell?"
"Is that where I belong now?" Zeriel asked. "I don't deserve to be at Jaylen's side. He is too pure. I will only falter again, and I can't risk him falling with me. The clergy claims he is Tainted, but I know otherwise. He still has his light magic and it is more powerful than any I've seen from a paladin. His is nearly comparable to an angel's. There is an untouched divinity to Jaylen's soul . . . or there was. I don't know how he will be changed after enduring so much torture and humiliation. Those forces have a nasty effect on people. When someone is a victim of that much abuse, it is written on their soul and can't be wiped away. That trauma is what lets the darkness enter and take hold."
* * *
Oviel was sitting in a wooden chair with a bandage wrapped around his stomach and various potions lined up on a small table under a ball of purple mage-glow. His slate-grey eyes were emotionless as he stared unwelcomingly at Zeriel outside of the door. "What do you want? Did the court not want to shred your soul and condemn you to an eternity in hell or as a slave to your father?"
"I'm sorry you got hurt earlier."
He scoffed and stirred one of the beakers. "I'll be fine. Unlike you, I still regenerate skin and muscle rapi
dly. This is your fault."
"I know. Forgive me."
"I don't know if I can, Zeriel. After the fiasco with Gawain, I swore to myself that I wouldn't do anything to upset Carvael or the Angelic Court again. I wanted nothing more than to do the right thing. Now, I can't go back to Heaven without facing punishment for helping you and Jaylen. You've ruined my life."
"I didn't mean for any of this to happen. Things got carried away and-"
Oviel interrupted him. "Enough excuses. That's part of why I can't continue with this course. You never take responsibility for your actions, Zeriel. It's always someone else's fault, or you claim that you didn't know things would end a certain way. But that's why you have to think through the possibilities before you act. How many lives are you going to ruin before that sinks in? Think about Doran."
Zeriel's hand slid up to touch the deep scar on his head beneath his spiky black hair. "You're right."
"Now you've harmed his son."
"How is Jaylen? Tell me he's stable."
"I don't lie."
"How bad is he?" Zeriel asked.
"It will be an act of Sola to bring him around and have any kind of a normal life. That surge of light magic he had, with the glowing wings and all, did major damage to his internal organs. His liver and kidneys are shutting down. I've been giving all the potions and herbs I can think of, but he's not recovering. The one tiny spark of hope I've seen is that he was able to speak to me. He opened his eyes and told me he was hurting. Then he slipped back into unconsciousness."
"So the light magic is killing him?"
"He's Tainted, Zeriel. He's not supposed to have light magic, but he does. It is incredibly harmful to his body whenever he uses it. If he does miraculously recover, I advise that he doesn't use it ever again. The next time could prove catastrophic."
He had the instant need to hold Jaylen and comfort him in any way he could. "Can I see him?"
"I shouldn't let you in here. You need to leave and either go to Hell and stay there or surrender to the fate the Angelic Court has for you. You're dangerous."
"Oviel, please. Just let me talk to him one last time then I will go back to Heaven and turn myself in. I have to apologize for hurting him like this before he dies."
"Only because you used to be my friend." He pushed the door open. "You have five minutes."
The room was dark, only lit by a single small orb of pale yellow mage-glow in the corner. The air smelled like various pungent medicinal herbs and the tonic Oviel used for antiseptic. It was silent except for Jaylen's slow shallow breathing that was raspy and wracked with pain. It was the single worst sound to Zeriel
"Jay?" Zeriel knelt down beside the bed and the pile of blankets then took his Master's cold hand. He delicately touched the inch-wide hole that went all the way though his hand. Oviel had cauterized them and applied a thick healing salve to the severely swollen and bruised areas. Inside, he could see the exposed shards of shattered bones where the spikes had crushed through them. At least he was able to stop the bleeding. "Jaylen, it's me. I don't know if you can hear me or not, but I need you to know some things. You probably don't want to be around me. I get that. I understand. That's why I'm here to say goodbye. First, you should know the truth."
Jaylen's eyes fluttered open. "Zeriel . . ."
"Oh, Jaylen! You're okay."
His voice was weak as he whispered to him. "I hurt."
"I know. I know, Master. You are in good hands. Oviel is a wonderful healer. I believe that he has your best interests in mind and will do everything he can to keep you safe."
"I'm . . . dying."
Zeriel slowly shook his head as he watched his paladin fading away right in front of him. "Don't talk like that. You can't say things like that, Jay. You'll pull through. I know you will. You're too strong to die here. There is so much life you have yet to live. You're going to do great things in the future. Even if you have to run far away from here and find a life somewhere else, I know that you have a passion beyond anything I have ever seen in a human, or angel for that matter. You can't die here to this. This won't be the end of Jaylen Corrifus."
Jaylen closed his eyes and took a labored shallow breath. "Tell me . . . about my dad. Tell me how he . . . died."
"Why would you want to know that right now?"
"I . . . need to die . . . more honorably than him."
"You will die with lifetimes more honor than Doran."
"Tell . . . me before I . . . die."
Zeriel once again felt the unfamiliar warmth of tears trailing down his cheeks as he held Jaylen's injured hand to his lips. "Your father died in Ilyan. It wasn't a clean death or a painless one. He suffered. He bled out slowly, begging for death. It took him six hours to die. All the while, he was writhing in agony as he was strung up in the top of a dead tree on the edge of the forest south of town. He was impaled by a wooden stake through his stomach and tied by his arms and legs to that tree. His killer watched him struggle and squirm as the color very slowly drained from him. For six hours, Doran felt himself dying. His killer could have saved him, but he didn't. He ignored Doran's cries for help and pleas for mercy. He wanted your father to suffer. It was an incredibly gruesome and inhumane killing."
"Who killed him?"
Zeriel took a deep breath. "I did."
Hopeless
Angel of Darkness Book Two
Hopeless
Copyright © 2014 by Mackenzie Morris
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review or scholarly journal.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental
Chapter 1
Seven Years Earlier
Zeriel wrapped the blanket around his Master's shoulders then joined him next to the fire. They had been on the move with the other paladin forces on the way to the contested territories near the border with Wolfekin. Yesterday had been the last night they would spend in the capital city of Ilyan for what could be months. While none of the werewolf citizens of Wolfekin were innately hostile, there was always the possibility of one of them going rabid.
As the barrier of mage-glow that the paladins had created to simulate the missing sun began to fade to create an artificial sunset, the world turned colder than normal and the buzzing of locusts died out. Eventually, the only remaining lights were the fires near the tents of the other paladins that stretched far across the valley where they had decided to make camp for the night.
Zeriel rubbed his bright white wings that had grown sore from flying all day. While the paladin he served had a horse and could ride for hours, it was painful for an angel to be forced to fly nonstop. Even angelic beings needed rest occasionally. But that was what Doran wanted, so Zeriel was forced to obey. He watched the middle-aged rough-looking man next to him who was busy drinking his third tin cup full of whiskey of the night. "Master, you shouldn't be drinking. It's against your vows of purity."
"So is enjoying women, but everyone knows I have Corina. Those vows are only suggestions."
That wasn't true at all, but Zeriel was in no position to argue. "I'm just trying to help."
"It's been a long day."
"Are your muscles aching, Doran?"
He glared at Zeriel. "How many times do I have to remind you to call me Master? Your insubordination is really starting to grate on my nerves. You are my slave. Never forget that."
"Forgive me, Master. I was offering to help."
Doran spit into the fire and pushed his sweaty dirty-blond bangs out of his eyes. "Out of all the angels that could have chosen me, I got stuck with you."
"I'm sorry I've disappointed you."
"That's all you are, Zeriel.
You're one worthless disappointment. You saw the other angels today. They were sparring and training right beside their paladins. They carried packs and sharpened their Master's swords. Why are you being so lazy?" Doran scoffed. "Why are you rubbing your wings? You tired or something?"
"I don't know what to tell you." Zeriel sighed. "I was carrying your bags all day as you made me fly."
"You're an angel, so you fly. That's what you do. I'm not going to get another horse just so you can ride. And I'm definitely not going to walk to Wolfekin. If you have wings, you're going to fly. Stop complaining. You've done nothing but complain for the past ten years. Can you believe it's been that long since you devoted yourself to me?"
"You were very different back then."
Doran drew his sword and swung it, stopping not even an inch from Zeriel's throat. "I became stronger while you became weaker. Insult me again and I will put you in your place, angel. You've seen me kill a dozen men on the battlefield with this sword. You may not die from it, but you will bleed. Oh, yes. Angels can still bleed."
Zeriel stayed as stoic as he could while Doran dragged the razor edge along his face. He swallowed hard as the sword scraped along his jaw line.
"Stubble? I thought I told you to remain clean-shaven at all times. You're not a warrior. You don't get to have the honor of a beard. You're a slave."
"Again, I'm sorry. I will fix it in the morning." He gasped as the tip of the sword sliced through the skin on his cheek. He reached up to touch it and his hand came back bloody. "Master . . ."
Doran wiped the blood off of his sword and put it away. He picked up his tin cup again and took a long drink. "Are you going to complain about that too? Feel the pain and learn from it."
"You've never harmed me before."
"You've never insulted me before. We're even." He finished of his drink then turned to his angel. "You will obey any order I give you, will you not?"
Angel of Darkness Books 1-5 Page 13
