The Helm of Darkness

by Kim Richardson

“We have to wait for the right moment.”

  He turned to face her. The vulnerability she’d seen in his face was gone. He was all business again.

  “And I think now would be as good a time as any. Step away please, Alexa.”

  He gestured for her to move away from the door.

  Alexa did as she was told. “A good time for what?”

  She could barely control her excitement.

  Milo’s smile made her feel some hope. “For breaking out of here—”

  In a blur of movement, Milo pulled out his swords and slashed them against the steel door. But there was no sound of metal hitting metal. His swords almost sounded soft.

  But when Alexa moved to the side for a better view, her hopes sank. The door was still intact. No marks, nothing. They were still trapped.

  She was disappointed. “It didn’t work—”

  Milo smiled and thrust his shoulder against the heavy steel door. The door creaked and slid off its severed hinges.

  Alexa stared. It was a clean cut. Milo had severed all three of the hinges as easily as if he’d just sliced through cannoli pastries. The breeze that brushed her face was cool and smelled faintly of wet earth and mildew.

  Alexa gave Milo a smile. “I’ll admit it, that was pretty badass. I’ve never seen a guardian with swords that can cut through metal. What kind are they?”

  Milo lifted his swords proudly. “These are spirit sabers. They were forged from delor metal by the oracle mothers. Each blade contains the power of a hundred soul blades.”

  He sheathed his swords behind his back, but he could see that Alexa itched to hold one.

  “Only a few of these were made, and only a skilled angel can wield them. Maybe you’ll get your chance one day.”

  “If we get out of here in one piece.”

  Alexa stared down the long tunnel outside their cell. She couldn’t see any guards. It looked as if they’d been completely abandoned. The elders had not realized that Milo’s super swords could cut through metal. It was a foolish mistake.

  She realized she needed to make a decision. She had to trust Milo. She had no other choice. She needed him if she was going to get out of this castle. It was clear to her that whatever he had done in the past, he was desperate to put things right now. And that was good enough for her.

  “There’s no one there,” said Alexa. She felt new hope. “Why do I get the feeling we’re about to do something very dangerous?”

  “Because we are.” Milo’s eyes lit up with excitement, and he gave her a boyish grin.

  “Now, we steal the Deus Septem.”

  Milo slipped through the open door and raced down the corridor.

  Alexa threw herself through the opening and sprinted after him.

  CHAPTER 22

  ALEXA AND MILO HURTLED UP two flights of stairs and dashed along the main floor in silence and darkness. Instead of the dank air of the lower level, they smelled spices and candles, and they passed too many doors and hallways to keep count.

  Milo was surprisingly light on his feet. She wouldn’t be able to hear him at all without her supernatural hearing, and she envied his stealth. The slap of her boots echoed around them like a charging rhinoceros. Milo was so far ahead of her that the light from the oil lamps only cast a single elongated and distorted shadow as she ran through the darkness.

  Still they met no one. Still they ran.

  Alexa was already lost by the fifth left turn, but Milo never faltered. He knew exactly where he was going, and she had to struggle to keep him in sight.

  She couldn’t deny the excitement she felt at the thought of stealing the books from the elders, especially after being tossed in some dungeon to die. She imagined the look on Elder Hugo’s face when he realized the books were gone, and it gave her another burst of speed.

  Her thighs burned, but she pushed on. Milo led her along another hallway that looked exactly like the last one. Finally, they rushed down the hall towards the familiar arches that framed the ancient doors to the library.

  Milo tried the handle. “It’s locked,” he whispered.

  Alexa recognized the curves and spirals from the seven archangel house sigils that were carved into the doors.

  “Do your sword thing, like before—”

  She spun around at the sound of someone walking in socks on the hard floor. She expected to see someone, but there was only darkness and shadow. She stilled and listened, but she could only hear the distant howl of the wind.

  “What is it?” Milo edged closer to her. “Did you hear something?”

  He paused to listen. “I can’t hear anything.”

  “It was probably just the wind.” Alexa released the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

  Milo pulled out one of his swords and Alexa took a step back out of the way.

  “Once we’re inside, we need to move fast. The elders are light sleepers and early risers, so we don’t have much time. How’s your Latin?”

  “Better than my Mandarin,” said Alexa, a little taken aback. “I might not have my memories back, but I’m pretty sure I can’t read Latin.”

  Milo looked momentarily disappointed, but then he turned and slipped his sword into the small gap just above the latch between the two doors. He pushed downward and severed the latch easily.

  Milo was through the door before it stopped moving, and he ran through the wall-to-wall books to the back of the vast oval chamber. Silver shafts of moonlight spilled through small round windows and created discs of light on the floors.

  The mahogany desk at the end of the chamber sat empty. But above it, spread out evenly, were the Deus Septem. The books lay in exactly the same position as before. It was almost an invitation to take them. The elders hadn’t even bothered to put them somewhere safe. Another foolish mistake.

  Alexa felt apprehensive. Somehow it seemed too easy, too simple, but she said nothing to Milo.

  Milo picked up a book with a brown leather binding and began leafing through it, none too gently. His eyes darted back and forth as he searched the text.

  Alexa reached out to pick up the volume closest to her, but when she touched the leather, a spark of energy shot through her fingers like an electric shock. She flinched and felt a warmth begin to bloom in the pit of her stomach. It was power. Power coursed through this book. The books must contain some of the power of the archangels. If Milo had felt the effects, he hadn’t shown it.

  The book she had selected was bound in green leather and had tarnished golden clasps. Both leather and the clasps were etched with sigil marks and other symbols she didn’t recognize. The large sigil on the cover resembled the closed U-like shape of House Uriel. The other volumes were for House Ramiel, House Raphael, House Sariel, House Gabriel, and House Raguel. Milo read from the book with the P-like sigil of House Michael.

  Alexa opened the book gently and scanned the contents. The ink was faded with age. Some text was Latin, but there were other words that seemed older. They looked more like symbols than letters and were a form of language she couldn’t understand. The pages weren’t numbered, but the first page had an inscription and the archangel Uriel’s sigil. The next page was a colored drawing of a male angel in full body armor. He was holding a book in one hand and pointing a sword at a group of subservient mortals at his feet with the other. The inscription above the drawing read Uriel Archangele.

  “What are we looking for?” said Alexa as she turned the page and saw more indecipherable text.

  “Anything that Hades might use against us,” said the angel.

  He flipped through more pages before setting the book down and picking up another one with a dark blue spine. He had clearly forgotten that Alexa couldn’t read Latin.

  “There are at least fifty chapters in this book,” said Alexa as she showed the book to Milo. “Which means, if there are the same number of chapters in the other books, which look about the same thickness, there are fifty times seven chapters. That’s a lot of information to go over. We’re going t
o be here for hours. And you’re the only one here who can read the books. They’re just a jumble of letters to me. I can’t understand any of it.”

  Milo looked up from his book.

  “We only need to search the books from the archangels Michael and Gabriel. If it’s a weapon Hades is looking for, it’ll be in those volumes. I’m sure. They contain everything that has to do with which weapons vanquish which demons and so on. Here—”

  He picked up a red-colored book with an A-like sigil that Alexa knew only too well. It had been Erik’s mark. Milo gave her the book.

  “Go through that. Yes, I know you can’t read Latin, but look for the word Pluto—it’s the Latin word for Hades.”

  Glad to have a purpose, Alexa went to work on her new book. Twenty minutes later, she reached the end.

  “I didn’t find anything,” she said, a little exasperated, and rubbed her eyes with her fingers. “I went through it line by line. Nothing. Maybe I should go over it again, just in case I missed it.”

  Milo dropped his book on the table and cursed. He rubbed his fingers over his face and then looked at Alexa with his hand outstretched. “Here, let me take a look. It’s always better with fresh eyes.”

  Alexa suppressed a shiver.

  “Do you have any idea where that river is? The one that flows beneath the mountain? I think I’d feel a little better if at least one of use knew where it was.”

  Milo continued to read from his book and did not look up.

  “Yes, of course I know where it is. The Blátindur River flows beneath the castle. The entrance is the back door in the kitchen area on the lower level.”

  The sky was a combination of dark blue and pink. It was still nighttime, but not for long.

  “What time did you say the Elders’ Guild would wake?” asked Alexa.

  “Soon.”

  She bit the inside of her cheek and grabbed a purple-colored volume with the diamond-like sigil of House Sariel. It wasn’t one of the books Milo had mentioned, but it didn’t hurt to look. She opened the book and began searching for the word Pluto.

  “What if we don’t find it,” asked Alexa after a little while.

  “We’ll find it.”

  “But what if we don’t,” she said. “We can’t stay here. If they find us here, they’ll kill us.”

  Alexa snapped her book closed with a thump. “Why don’t we take the books and go? We could take our time searching them back in Horizon. Maybe we could get some help.”

  “We can’t take them back with us,” said Milo angrily.

  When he saw the alarm in Alexa’s face, he lowered his voice. “They’ve been protected with a spell. They’ll disintegrate as soon as they leave the castle. This is our only shot. Keep looking. If we have to go through all the books, that’s what we need to do.”

  Alexa began scanning her book again. Her fear was increasing in proportion to the tension she saw in Milo. The muscles in his jaw flexed, and he kept clenching his teeth as he continued to search. They had to find something soon.

  Alexa focused. Pluto. Pluto. Pluto.

  It was like looking for a needle in a haystack. There were just too many words and letters that looked all the same to her. It was impossible—

  PLUTO.

  There it was, written just as Milo said it would be. The name was inscribed above an image of a large naked man with a long beard. She didn’t recognize his face, but he said he’d taken a new host, so it could be him. A helmet rested beneath his right arm, and he held a trident with his left hand. Next to him crouched the three-headed dog, Cerberus. It was definitely Hades.

  “Milo!” She leapt over to him.

  “Look! It’s Hades!”

  Milo dropped his book and grabbed Alexa’s book away from her. He was silent for moment as his eyes darted back and forth. Then they widened.

  “That’s it.” He looked up at Alexa.

  “I know what Hades is after. And I know why he went after those members of The Crowns of the World.”

  Alexa raised her hands. “So tell me already! The suspense is killing me.”

  “This,” he said and pointed to the helmet under Hades’ arm.

  Alexa shrugged. “A helmet?”

  “Not just any helmet,” said Milo. “The helmet. The Helm of Darkness.”

  “Sorry,” said Alexa, her lips tight. “No idea what that is or why Hades would want it.”

  “Mortals today don’t sacrifice themselves to the pagan god like they used to, so he has become weak. He doesn’t have the power to do the things he used to do. But with the Helm of Darkness in his possession, he will be able to summon and control demons. The helm will make him invisible and will enable him to shadow travel.”

  Alexa looked confused.

  “Think of it like a cloud of mist that makes him undetectable.”

  “This is the weapon he’s been looking for all this time?” asked Alexa. “A helmet?”

  “Yes,” said Milo. He looked relieved and a little anxious.

  “The Helm of Darkness was forged by the Ancients. They were demons from another dimension who slipped through the Veil during the creation of Earth. They have long since vanished back into their dimension. The helm went missing thousands of years ago. It was thought to have been destroyed.”

  “But it wasn’t,” said Alexa. “And Hades must know that too. Otherwise he wouldn’t have launched the attack on Hallow Hall.”

  “Or killed Dr. Prevost for it,” said Milo. “He must have thought the collectors from The Crowns of the World had it. He didn’t take anything because it was never in their possession. So, as a last resort, he turned to the only thing that might have given him a clue to its location.”

  “The Deus Septem.”

  “Exactly,” said Milo. “Only he doesn’t know that he just has copies.”

  Milo looked worried.

  “He must not take possession of the helm. The longer he has it, the more powerful he’ll become. Without the helm, he’s pretty much just a regular pagan god who can be vanquished. But with it, he could summon a league of greater demons. The destruction he could wreak would be unimaginable. If we don’t stop him before he finds the helm, we might not be able to destroy him at all.”

  “Well, only one thing matters,” said Alexa. “We need to find it before Hades does.”

  She searched his face. “And by that spark in your eye, I can see that you know where it is, don’t you?”

  “I do.”

  He glanced at the book again. “It says here that the Elders’ Guild hid it from Hades because they couldn’t destroy it. They put it in a place where even Hades wouldn’t think to look.”

  Milo smiled like an angel. “The Helm of Darkness is hidden in—”

  The door to the chamber opened and light spilled in.

  “Well, what do we have here?” asked Elder Nicholas triumphantly.

  He stepped into the chamber with thirty elders behind him.

  CHAPTER 23

  ELDER NICHOLAS SMILED WICKEDLY. “I knew you couldn’t resist, knowing your past behavior. Never trust an angel with what you hold most dear because they will take it. Stealing is a sin in the Elders’ Guild. A sin that is punishable by death.”

  Alexa heard the sound of steel sliding from scabbards, and thirty silver swords gleamed in the soft light. The elders surrounded them. Their heavy white robes muffled their movements so that they were as quiet as white ghosts. It explained why Alexa and Milo didn’t hear them. Despite their differences in sex and age, they all had the same look of cold carnage in their eyes.

  “I knew this was too easy,” whispered Alexa.

  She swallowed hard. She tried to focus and to bring her nerves back under control, but an icy wave of dread raised goose bumps on her arms.

  “We would never steal the books,” said Milo.

  Without averting his eyes from Elder Nicholas, he put the book down and raised his hands in surrender.

  “We only wanted to read them. Just listen to what we have to
say. Hades is searching for the—”

  “The Helm of Darkness,” answered Elder Nicholas. He sounded bored. “Yes. I know. Did you think I didn’t? The inscription you found was kept hidden to keep its location safe from the pagan god in case he ever resurfaced. And by what you’ve told me, he already has.”

  “You knew?” Milo did nothing to hide his anger. “Why didn’t you tell us? Why did you let Elder Hugo imprison us when you knew we were speaking the truth?”

  “The truth?” Elder Nicholas glowered. “From where I’m standing, it looks to me as though the two of you are working with the pagan god. And now you’ve been caught. When the Legion contacted us, when they told us that you were coming—the angel marked by the serpent—I knew it could only be evil you sought. I knew you once served the darkness, and it appears you still do.” He grinned. “And when you mentioned the pagan god Hades, I knew you were searching for the helm.”

  “You’re wrong,” growled Milo.

  “Evil is like fire. It burns the one who harnesses it until it consumes all.”

  Elder Nicholas turned to Alexa, and she cringed.

  “Angels can’t use the Helm of Darkness, only demons and pagan gods. It is no use to you.” His face twisted into bitter rage. “Only the creature you serve can use it. And I cannot let you tell him where it is.”

  “We won’t,” said Milo. “You’re being an idiot. Think. Open your eyes. Whatever you might think of me and what I’ve done, you know I wouldn’t want Hades to get his helmet back. It would be disastrous for the Legion and the mortal world. Think of how powerful he would become, of the evil and havoc he would cause. He would stop at nothing until the mortal world bent to his will. And when he had the mortal word under his control—he’d come for the Legion. We want to keep it from him.”

  “Lies,” laughed Elder Nicholas coldly. “A family trait, I think. But you’ve been caught in the act of stealing secret information from our most sacred books. Books that were only meant for the eyes of elders, not corrupted angels.”

  Milo was desperate. “Hades is our enemy as much as he is yours.”