Descent (A Hidden Wings Novella: Prequel)

by Renae, Cameo

  Chapter Ten

  The Tragedy

  Samuel:

  My inner voice was warning me that someone had found out about my relationship with Alaine. I just hoped with all my being that they didn’t find out about Emma.

  I had no doubt that Alaine could take care of herself, especially with her gift of invisibility. I taught her everything I knew about Angels and the Fallen, and how to recognize the signs when either was near. That gave her an edge, and a fighting chance of survival.

  But our daughter was helpless. There was no way any mortal who surrounded her could win a battle with an Immortal, or live to tell about it.

  But I was curious. Why would they send two of their best to collect me? I wasn’t afraid to die. Death had no sting, especially to many of the Fallen who wished for it.

  I no longer wished for death.

  I had finally found happiness, and found the one my heart had been searching for my entire existence. The one I wanted to share the rest of my eternity with…regardless if we were star-crossed lovers sharing one forbidden love.

  “Samuel.” My thoughts were broken as Abaddon spoke my name.

  I nodded and let them take me.

  We entered the porthole into the Underworld, a place I never pleasured in returning to. Desolate. Dry. Dead. The ground was parched, and steam rose from large crevices within its surface. Not one sign of life. A colorless, foul, cursed world, much like most of the hearts that dwelt here.

  Although I was one of the Fallen, I preferred to stay in the mortal world as to not become too accustomed to this one. Regret of past decisions was a heavy weight to bear, and I was doomed to spend an eternity carrying it.

  As Abaddon and Apollyon flew me east towards Montem Mortis, the Mount of Death, I realized I was in grave danger. This was the place traitors and those who disregarded the laws, were brought for execution.

  I couldn’t help but notice the corpses of all my Fallen brothers on the rocks below. Bones of some I knew personally. Some who stood up against this senseless war and wanted it to end. They were executed because of it. This leadership was tyrannical: wanting to make war when there was no cause for one.

  Humans had a choice. It was something given to them. We, on the other hand, did not.

  We soared higher, to the top of the mountain.

  Alaine.

  Emma.

  Their names filled my heart as we drew closer, giving me strength and some kind of hope to hold on to.

  We landed on a small area at the top where the dirt had become blackened from all of the previous blood spilled. Lucian was waiting. His white hair was drawn back, and his wings were folded behind his back, which meant that whatever was going to happen, wasn’t going to take long.

  Abaddon walked toward him and bowed, showing his allegiance. “We’ve brought Samuel.”

  Apollyon stepped behind me and whispered something so soft, at first I thought it was the wind. “I’ve heard about your mortal love. I also have one. Trust my sword.”

  Were my ears deceiving me? How could he have known about Alaine? I turned my head to the side and he gave the slightest nod. Apollyon was a master swordsman. The best I’d ever come across or had seen in battle. He was so quick, so precise, and each one of his swings was deliberate and fatal, never missing its target.

  Lucian’s eyes fixed on me, pitch black, with evil intentions. But I wasn’t afraid of him. Yes, he was an ancient, almost as old as Lucifer, but other than that he was no different from any of us. He was just handed his leadership and authority.

  I could sense his intentions, and they were evil.

  Immortals could die one of two ways. Take off the head, or pierce the heart.

  If my arms weren’t bound, I would have fought him till the death. But with my arms secured tightly behind me, there wasn’t much I could do. I couldn’t fly, because if I called my wings, they would tear my arms off. The only thing I could do was trust in a whisper. It was all I had.

  I steeled my eyes on Lucian, and he gave me a wicked grin.

  I suddenly envisioned my sword in my hand, slicing the smirk off his face, then his head. I would smile as I watched it fall face-first into the dirt, hopefully hitting a rock on the way down. Then, I would rip out his heart, just to be certain of his death. That would be a beautiful sight.

  I usually had a nice disposition, but I was still a Fallen Angel. One that most didn’t mess with.

  **********

  “So, you are Samuel?” Lucian huffed. He still had a smirk on his face.

  Samuel stood still, firm, and said nothing.

  I’ve received word that you’ve been keeping intimate company with a mortal. Is this true?”

  “Where did you come by this information?” Samuel questioned.

  “That does not concern you!” Lucian growled. “Don’t you know that breeding with the mortal insects is forbidden?”

  “Yes, and that should not concern you,” Samuel smirked.

  “Oh, but it does. Lucifer has placed me in charge of the Fallen, and I will make sure they do not breed and create bastard abominations, and future enemies to us.”

  Samuel’s heart began to fill with hate for Lucian as he thought about his Alaine, and their beautiful daughter Emma. They were the furthest things from abominations.

  “I have done nothing wrong,” Samuel said in defense, and with all honesty.

  “Well, I’m here to make sure of that.”

  Samuel glared at him.

  Samuel knew that Lucian had brought him here for one purpose and one purpose alone. Execution. And he wasn’t going to leave until it was carried out. Once brought to Montem Mortis, you never returned. That was Lucian’s way. Guilty or innocent, it didn’t matter. Each visitor met their fate, and he was there as a maniacal spectator.

  Lucian spoke one word, and Samuel knew it was the beginning of the end.

  “Abaddon.”

  Samuel stood tall and closed his eyes. His thoughts went to his Alaine. His love. His world. The pain might be bearable if he could keep his mind on her. She gave him strength.

  He said a silent prayer. A prayer to a God who had long forgotten him. A God he had forsaken many centuries ago. A prayer not for himself, but for Alaine and Emma. A prayer to keep them safe.

  Abaddon stepped forward and reached for his sword.

  “Let me do this,” Apollyon said, taking a step toward him.

  A large smile formed on Lucian’s lips, and he nodded. Abaddon stepped behind Samuel and recalled the bind, letting Samuel’s arms free, but then quickly placed the bind on his legs.

  “Wings!” Lucian roared.

  Apollyon nodded to Samuel, so he called out his wings.

  Calling out ones wings was as simple as a thought, which releases a magical connection between the host and his winged appendage.

  In a moment, the most beautiful black wings spread across Samuel’s back. Wings that had aided him through the centuries. Wings that had taken him to safety, and helped him fight and defeat his enemies.

  Apollyon nodded again and Samuel shut his eyes tight, knowing what was to come. Pain. His mind searched for Alaine. He needed to find her face.

  Abaddon took hold of his left wing and stretched it out. With one quick swish, Apollyon swung his sword, severing it from Samuel’s back. Samuel fell to his knees, pain surged through his body. His wings were a vital part of him.

  Before he had a chance to catch his breath...Swish! His other wing was severed.

  Abaddon threw them off the side of the mountain as if they were trash.

  Samuel’s pain was excruciating, like nothing he had ever endured before. But he found Alaine, in his mind’s eye. He saw her beautiful face and the warmth in her big, brown eyes smiling at him.

  “I love you,” he whispered with a smile on his face.

  “Stand him up,” Lucian yelled. Abaddon assisted Samuel to his feet. Blood poured from his open wounds, down his back, and started to cover the ground around him.

  Samu
el opened his eyes and smiled.

  “What makes you smile when death is near?”

  “Love. Love makes me smile, and is something you can never take from me. Something you could never kill, and something that will never die. It is something I have found, and will keep until my last breath, and it will rest with me for all eternity.”

  Samuel’s happiness made Lucian furious. “Kill him,” he roared

  Apollyon raised his sword, and then thrust it into Samuel’s chest. Samuel dropped. His legs gave out and the world around him started to fade. Soon his body fell limp to the ground. Lifeless.

  Lucian knew that Apollyon had never missed his target. Not once, so he never doubted that Samuel was dead.

  “Toss him over the side and let’s be rid of him.”

  Abaddon recalled the bind from Samuel’s legs, and dragged him to the edge of the mountain. He then lifted him over his head, and dropped him down the side, to the razor sharp rocks below.

  Alaine:

  As soon as Samuel kissed me goodbye and disappeared into the night sky, my heart began to ache for him. I knew he needed to go away, and he’d done so every few months for almost a year now, but it was never easy.

  I figured the best and easiest way would be to sleep.

  My sleep would always be sweet because every time I closed my eyes he was there, in my dreams. I never knew how long he was going to be away. Days, weeks, months? Each day harder than the next, and longer than the day before. It was the dead time, the time spent awake, which was the hardest.

  I turned off my light and wrapped the blanket around me, wishing it were his strong arms. I was just about to shut my eyes when I noticed how extra dark it seemed outside. Like the moon and stars weren’t there.

  In the distance I heard dogs barking. But these were not simple barks, they were more territorial. I waited, listening, and a few minutes later a dog yelped loudly like it was in pain.

  I jumped from the covers and pulled back the curtain, just enough to peek out the window. My chest started to feel heated, and when I glanced down, the bloodstone around my neck started glowing bright red, which meant danger was near.

  A shadow, darker than the night, shot across the window. I gasped, stumbling backwards, and then caught a sweet, yet smoky scent in the breeze.

  Fallen.

  They were here.

  And then my heart sank in a horrifying realization. If they were here for me, then what would happen to Samuel? I hoped he was okay. I hoped they didn’t find out about us.

  Then my thoughts shot to Emma, hoping she was safe. I hope they didn’t know about her or where she was.

  There was a loud bang downstairs.

  I needed to get out. Quick.

  I grabbed my perfume and sprayed it all over the room to mask my smell, and then ran to my closet and locked the door from the inside. Samuel had rigged it for extra protection, even though a door wouldn’t keep the Fallen out for long.

  He had also installed a secret door, with three different sets of tunnels which all connected, but each one led to a different exit.

  Taking a deep breath, I tied my hair back into a ponytail, and grabbed the magical black-leather suit my Immortal father had given me. I wanted to put it on, but there was no time. The bloodstone was getting hotter and brighter. I also didn’t want to use my invisibility so soon, because the longer I used it, the weaker I became, and I needed as much strength as I could to get away.

  I squeezed into the small trap door and before closing it I sprayed the closet again, and then locked it quietly behind me. I was now in complete darkness, and the only light was that from the bloodstone glowing red around my neck, making everything seem eerie.

  From the outside, you would never know there was a trap door there.

  As I made my way down the narrow tunnel, I could hear footsteps hammering above me, and then a loud crash as if they kicked in a door. My heart hammered against the walls of my chest, and I prayed that the spray would conceal my scent long enough for me to get out.

  But now, the question was which exit to take. If I took the exit out the front, I could run into the trees across the street, and then on to the undercover car parked a few blocks away. Samuel had thought of everything. Every detail in case this day ever came. I doubted it would, but now I was glad he had prepared me. He’d been around for hundreds of years, knowing that anything could happen at any moment.

  I climbed through the dark tunnel and went to the back of the house first to check the wind. It was blowing away from me, and toward the back of the house, so it would carry the scent of the spray. I just hoped they would pick it up, and not my own. I gripped bottle in my hand, took in a deep breath, and sprayed as much of the perfume as I could. I then doubled back, and checked the front of the house.

  It appeared to be clear, but the Fallen could be anywhere. I sniffed the air, but the smell of the perfume was much too overpowering.

  Shaking, I concentrated on my gift. Soon everything around me became a translucent haze, and I knew that I was now invisible to them. I pushed out and focused on one tree across the street, and ran as fast as I could to it.

  As soon as I reached it I heard movement behind me, and then a stench filled the air, burning my nostrils.

  Darkling.

  Whoever sent them, really wanted to find me, and now I was surrounded. One of the Fallen was soaring above me searching the surrounding area. His black wings were outstretched, shining in the moonlight, searching the surrounding area. Further off in the distance another one was circling.

  The Darkling had entered the house, and I could hear things crashing inside. They were trashing the place. There was no way I could return, and no way to make it to the car. It was too late, and no one else was on the road in the area. I would stick out like a sore thumb.

  I needed to find a safe place to hide.

  I felt heat burn my chest and caught my gasp.

  A Darkling stood feet away from me, sniffing the air around it. It was onto my scent, but confused because it couldn’t see me.

  If I moved, he might hear me, but if I stayed, it would run right into me.

  I held my breath and started to take a step toward the street. I knew that I could run faster on the pavement, and could avoid tripping over any rocks or twisting my ankle in any holes if I went through the trees.

  There was a low, guttural growl behind me. I turned back, and the Darkling was now a few inches away. It took another deep breath, like it had figured out something was there. I quickly ducked, as it swung is sharp claws at the air where I was standing.

  HOLY HELL! That was way too close!

  It looked bewildered, like it thought it was going to hit something, but didn’t.

  I could feel myself getting weaker. My gift was making me tired, and I didn’t know how much longer I could hold it. I quickly shuffled to the road on hands and knees, and as soon as I hit the pavement, I jumped up and ran. Ran as fast as I could in my bare feet. I didn’t know where I was going, but I took off down the street sprinting for my life.

  One of the Fallen swooped right down in front of me, making me jump and fall backward, but he obviously didn’t see me because he did the same thing a few yards away, scouring the area. I jumped back up and continued running.

  A few blocks away lived an old couple, the Mercers, who I visited frequently. They were friends of my parents, so I would take them baked treats as often as I could. They had two Rottweilers named Bill and Ted, and every time I visited, I’d bring each of them a raw steak. They adored me, but they hated everyone else.

  The Mercers built them a large sized doghouse, a lot bigger than those two mutts were, and even put soft dog beds in it. I asked them why, because the dogs preferred to sleep in the grass, but they said it was because Bill and Ted were their babies, and they wanted them to have a place to sleep in case it rained or became cold. I understood, even though their babies could rip the limbs off of anyone with one bite.

  That was the only place
I could think of which would be safe enough to hide. Bill and Ted’s doghouse. Plus, I would have the added protection of the two meanest dogs on the planet. As I ran, my body began to tremble. I was getting weaker and weaker. This was the longest I’d ever called my gift, and I didn’t know how much longer I could stay invisible.

  I pushed. Pushed with everything I had left in me, and finally made it to the Mercers front yard. I collapsed on the grass, and when everything became clear, I knew I had become visible again.

  The gift had weakened me to the point that I couldn’t stand. My legs were like Jell-O, so I pulled myself with my arms, digging every last ounce of strength I had left in me to survive. I was running on pure adrenaline now.

  Bill and Ted saw me crawling in the grass and immediately began barking ferociously. They didn’t know it was me, and were just protecting their territory.

  “Bill! Ted! Shut-up you stupid dogs!” I snapped.

  As I got close enough for them to see me and catch my scent, they stopped and began jumping up and down, like they usually did in expectation of a treat.

  But I didn’t stop. I couldn’t. I knew the Fallen must have heard the dogs, and would be here soon, so I pulled myself past them, into the doghouse, and tucked myself into a corner.

  Bill and Ted followed me, and began licking my face. I tried to push them away, but suddenly a deep growl rumbled from Ted.

  He took off outside snarling and snapping like rabid, bloodthirsty beast. Bill followed behind, furious at whom or whatever had entered their property.

  If I didn’t know these dogs I would have been completely terrified. They were huge and scary, and I prayed that these dogs would be my saving grace. Hopefully the Fallen would think that no one would dare enter these beasts lair.

  Samuel. My thoughts went to him. I hoped and prayed that he was safe, and that he would return to me.

  Right now, if they found me, I was helpless to fight back. There was nothing I could do, and nowhere to run. I was too weak and exhausted, and needed sleep to rejuvenate. With rest…Immortals heal, but I was only half Immortal, so I needed a lot extra.