The Devil's Soldier

by Rachel McClellan

  His toes began to tingle and the prickly sensation raced up his body and burst his mind into a spectrum of colors. Magic coursed through him, more powerful than ever. To keep it at his fingertips, he used his love for Eve and his overwhelming desire to never lose her again.

  Boaz.

  He wasn't far. Maybe a hundred yards away on the edge of a small cliff overlooking the forest.

  Lucien shot upwards into the night and not even a second later dropped from the sky mere feet from Boaz, the ground shaking from the force.

  Boaz turned around, his eyes widening briefly before turning to a scowl. "Lucien. My biggest regret."

  Lucien growled and rushed him. Boaz knocked him away with a simple wave of his hand. Lucien slid on along the ground, scraping up several inches of dirt and grass. He jumped up, but Boaz mentally shoved him back down with a crushing invisible force. Lucien tried to free himself, but every time he moved, the pressure only grew until he was unable to even expand his lungs.

  Boaz strolled over to him. "Did you know you and your brother were the only Bradys I let live? I killed every other offspring of those damned witches who refused to join me, but Aiden was a special breed. I recognized a loyal follower when I saw one. Aiden swore you were the same."

  An icy cold pain sliced through Lucien's brain. Boaz was trying to get in. Lucien gritted his teeth and mentally pushed back.

  "I'm going to kill you, Lucien," Boaz said. "But first, I'm going to rip every last bit of magic from that body of yours." He reached down and stroked the top of Lucien's head as if soothing him. "Give yourself to me."

  Lucien lifted his gaze to Boaz and managed to say through his clenched jaw, "Go to hell."

  The corners of Boaz's mouth turned up. "You first."

  Lucien narrowed his eyes and concentrated hard on blocking Boaz, just like Henry had taught him. A roaring filled his ears, and his vision blurred. The pain was severe, but he was gaining ground. Boaz's hold was slipping.

  Boaz straightened, teetering slightly. "What are you doing? Who taught you to do that?"

  Lucien mentally pressed back harder, the roaring growing louder and louder until he felt moisture coming from his ears.

  "Impossible!" Boaz grunted and touched his head as if feeling the same pain Lucien had felt moments before.

  When the pressure eased up on Lucien's mind, he fought harder, mentally pushing back against Boaz. A new power surged into him all of a sudden; it felt as ancient as time itself. This new strength stretched toward Boaz in great invisible waves, pulsing to an unfamiliar rhythm.

  Boaz fell to his knees, breathing hard.

  Lucien rose from the ground, his entire essence filled with commanding energy. He could've blasted Boaz with magic, sent him flying into a tree. Or he could've mentally lifted Boaz into the air a hundred feet and slammed him into the ground. But none of them would've been as satisfying as this:

  Lucien cocked his fist back and punched Boaz square in the jaw.

  Boaz's eyes rolled back into his head, and he fell to the side, not out cold but dazed. Lucien jumped on top of him and continued to rain blows upon him.

  "Die, you bastard!" he yelled.

  Boaz's nose cracked, and blood poured from his nostrils. His eyes snapped open; the whites of them were blood. Boaz growled low and shoved Lucien hard with his palms. Lucien flew back but managed to land on his feet.

  "You fools!" Boaz said. "You can't kill me!"

  Boaz snapped his arms forward, sending a blast of energy at Lucien. Instead of being knocked back, Lucien absorbed the dark energy into him. At first, the sensation was painful, but Lucien mentally focused the energy back into the ends of his fingertips. He swirled his arms wide then pushed the darkness, combined with his own power, back to Boaz. This was enough to knock Boaz from his feet.

  Lucien lifted his arms, making several sticks rise into the air. In one swift motion, he darted them toward the sky, then clenched his hands tight, shooting them back down toward Boaz with one focus—Boaz's heart. Just before their intended target, the broken limbs inexplicably disintegrated before Lucien's eyes.

  Boaz laughed and rose to a standing position. "I told you. I can't die!"

  Lucien was too stunned to react when the ground buckled beneath him. He fell onto his back. Boaz was upon him in an instant.

  "My turn," Boaz said and grinned. He raised his arm and smashed his curled fist into Lucien's face.

  A spectrum of colors burst into his field of vision, and a pain just as intense threatened to split his skull. Boaz raised his fist again; dark energy swirled around it. Lucien's eyes widened. This blow may be his last. Where the hell was Henry?

  Boaz's fist came down, but before it could make impact, Boaz was hit in the chest by an invisible force. His body flew up and was pierced to a tree, held fast by the same force. Lucien rolled over onto his belly and looked up.

  Eve stood before him, her hand outstretched toward Boaz.

  "You are through ruining my life!" Her gaze dropped to Lucien. "Get the blood."

  Lucien scrambled to his feet and reached into his breast pocket for the syringe.

  Boaz chuckled. "You look angry, love. Don't tell me you didn't enjoy me inside you moments ago. I felt your pleasure."

  "You repulse me!" Eve hissed through her teeth, the knuckles on her hands white. But what worried Lucien was her expression. Her eyes and hair color appeared darker and for some reason the veins on her face appeared swollen and black.

  "You feel it, don't you?" Boaz said, his voice low. "The connection between us is as strong as ever."

  Lucien walked next to Eve and took hold of her hand. She gasped at his touch and exhaled as if she had been holding her breath for a very long time.

  "Look at me, Eve," Lucien said in a commanding tone. He had to break whatever hold Boaz held over her.

  Up above, pressed high against the tree, Boaz thrashed as he tried to free himself.

  It seemed to take great effort, but eventually Eve's gaze turned toward him. He smiled kindly at her, and remembered her love for roses.

  His voice full of tenderness, he said, "All roses have thorns, but those prickly barbs do not take away from the rose's true nature of beauty, truth and light. You felt it once, Eve. Feel it again. Do not let your thorns control you."

  Her eyes welled with tears, and she lowered head as if ashamed.

  Lucien touched her chin gently and lifted her head back up. "Together?"

  "It doesn't matter what you do or how you do it," Boaz growled, still thrashing high against the tree. "Eve will give herself to me and the longer she delays, the more people are going to die!"

  "Together," Eve whispered.

  Lucien let go of her hand and raced toward Boaz just as Eve loosened her mental grip on him, making Boaz fall to the ground. Boaz grinned, and his body began to change into a dark smoke. He was going to get away!

  Lucien jumped as fast and hard as he could. Just before Boaz's head dissipated, Lucien plunged the syringe below Boaz's jaw and pressed the top, injecting the blood into him.

  Boaz clawed at his neck, his face grimacing. "What did you do?"

  A second later, his arms snapped to his sides and his head straightened as if he were a soldier responding to a command. "Stop this right now. You must—"

  Boaz's body vanished.

  "He's in the circle," Eve said. "Get there as quickly as possible."

  She disappeared.

  Before Lucien hurried after her, he turned in a full circle and yelled into the night, "Henry! We have Boaz, and we need you now more than ever. Do not let us down, or I will kill you myself!"

  21

  Eve reappeared into the candlelit cabin. Boaz was lying on the floor, trapped in the circle, his body stiff and rigid and his face scrunched in pain. She couldn't believe she had let him control her so easily! But even worse was how she had almost given up. Thank goodness for Lucien and his strength. The moment he had touched her hand in the forest, she had felt the light between them ignite. It
was more than enough to snuff out the darkness Boaz had left inside her.

  "Don't do this, Eve," Boaz said through his clenched jaw. "Innocent blood will be on your hands."

  Eve glanced out the window, searching for Lucien and Henry. They needed to say the words that would place Boaz into an eternal slumber as soon as possible. She wasn't sure how long her protective circle would hold.

  Boaz grunted and rolled into a tight ball. Already the spell was wearing off. "You are just delaying the inevitable."

  "There is no inevitable for me and you," she said.

  Lucien flung open the door breathing hard. "Ready?"

  Eve peered out the window. Henry's dark form was not far away. "Let's begin."

  Lucien came to stand on the opposite side of the circle as her. Their eyes met briefly, and then in unison they spoke:

  "The world is gray, the night is black,

  We hold a demon in our trap.

  Close his eyes and make him sleep,

  An eternal night he must keep.

  For there he will lie and never die,

  A corpse buried in his lies."

  They chanted the words over and over and, with each verse, the pressure in the room grew. Sweat ran into Eve's eyes, and her legs grew weak. The spell was more taxing than she anticipated. And by the looks of Lucien, he too was struggling. His face was pale, and like her, he was sweating profusely.

  But the spell was working!

  Boaz writhed on the floor. His hands covered his ears as if he was trying to block out a terrible sound, and he was screaming loudly, making it hard for Eve to hear her own voice. She spoke louder, and Lucien matched her volume.

  The crack of thunder shook the room and lightning streaked across the ceiling, nearly missing the top of Lucien's head. A strong gust of wind came with it, extinguishing the candles and the fire in the fireplace. The room was plunged into darkness so suddenly that both Eve and Lucien stopped talking. Boaz, too, was strangely quiet.

  "Is it over?" Eve whispered.

  The fireplace lit up. Shadows danced upon Lucien's face as he stood in front of the flames. He held no matches. He must have used magic to start the fire. Lucien turned around and looked down at the floor. Eve followed his gaze.

  Boaz's body was straight as a board, his eyes closed tight. His expression was so relaxed, and his body so still, that he looked more like a wax statue than an actual living being.

  "It worked," Lucien said.

  The cabin door opened. Henry crossed the threshold and glanced at each of them. His eyes burned bright, and his brow glistened with sweat.

  "That was some powerful magic, Eve," he said. His gaze dropped to Boaz. "I truly didn't think it would work until I felt our combined power. I have never experienced anything like that."

  Eve stormed over to him and slapped him hard. "Where the hell where you in the forest? Lucien almost died! Either you're on our side, or you're not!"

  Her heart had nearly stopped when she had seen Boaz—his arm poised over Lucien with what she knew was a death blow. If she hadn't arrived when she did…

  "I was there." Henry walked to Boaz and knelt on one knee. He reached one finger and placed it on Boaz's forehead. "There's still so much power," he whispered.

  "Hey!" Eve said again. Lucien reached for her, but she knocked his hand away. "Why didn't you help Lucien?"

  Henry straightened. "I was aware of everything. I knew you were coming."

  "Maybe if you would've had more faith in my magic, you would not have cared so much about keeping your identity secret! Do you see what I've done here?" She motioned toward Boaz. "I did this. Boaz will not hurt anyone ever again! And you said it wasn't possible."

  "Careful, Eve," Lucien said, his voice low.

  Eve turned to him. "What? We did something good here!"

  "You said 'I'."

  She turned away from him and walked to the window, wrapping her arms around her chest. She had said "I". That's something her parents would've done—claimed all the credit for themselves.

  Eve repressed a shiver. There was still a seed of darkness lurking within her. Had Boaz planted it, or had it always been there just waiting to be cared for? She bit the inside of her cheek and drew in a shaky breath. Why couldn't she be stronger?

  Lucien came up behind her and slid his arms around her, warming her entirety.

  "I hate him so much," Eve whispered, her whole body tight. A lone tear trailed down her cheek.

  Lucien breathed in deep, his chest rising and falling against her back for a long moment, then said, "The monster doesn't deserve to sleep. Let's just finish this once and for all."

  He let go of her, leaving her cold, and walked to the kitchen. He slid a long sword from off of the counter and turned around, his sight set on Boaz.

  "Lucien, no—" Henry yelled, but Lucien was already leaping into the air, the sword raised high above his head.

  Eve watched expectantly, a small hope lit inside her.

  Kill him! Kill him!

  Lucien came down hard and sliced through the air. Inches before the blade reached Boaz's neck, an explosive energy shot through the room, shattering everything in its path.

  Eve flew back and slammed into the wall. Glass and splintered wood from one of the posts spattered against her, tearing open her skin. It took several seconds for the ringing in her ears to stop and for the pain of the blow to pass before she was able to look up. A bomb might as well have gone off in the room. A nearby sofa was in pieces, parts of the ceiling were gone, and rock from the fireplace lay all across the floor.

  Henry was on all fours, slowly shaking his head. Blood dripped from a wound on his shoulder.

  Eve pulled herself to a standing position. "Lucien?"

  She carefully stepped over the debris to make her way to the center of the room where a portion of the roof had collapsed. Light from the full moon spilled in, lighting the room. Lucien must be trapped beneath.

  "Help me, Henry!" Eve cried.

  She glanced briefly at Boaz, who was still lying peacefully on the floor without a single wound. She took hold of a wooden slat on the floor; a broken shingle sliced into her hand, and she cried out.

  "Move," Henry said from across the room, his focus on the broken chunk of ceiling. He lifted his arm just as she stepped back. The debris vibrated. Henry jerked his hand to the side. Wood and roofing shingles followed suit and flew across the room. Beneath all the wreckage was Lucien, his left leg bent at an odd angle.

  "Lucien!" Eve hurried over and knelt at his side. Blood poured from a deep gash above his eye, but what really concerned her was a thin strip of metal protruding from his chest. She didn't dare turn him over to see if it went all the way through.

  Lucien opened his eyes and moaned. "What happened?"

  "You aren't listening to me," Henry said and walked over to them. "Neither of you. Boaz can't be killed!"

  Henry reached down and wrapped his hands around the metal strip. "Hold on. This is going to hurt."

  "Wait!" Eve said, but before she could stop him, Henry yanked the metal from Lucien's chest. Lucien growled and pressed at the wound to try and stop the blood spurting from his body.

  "Heal him," Henry said. "We need to get rid of Boaz's body as quickly as possible."

  She pressed her shaky hand on top of Lucien's. "It's okay. Just relax."

  He nodded, his face pale.

  Eve closed her eyes and tried to concentrate, but her mind was too full of messy emotions, and a burning, all-consuming rage. Boaz. She attempted to shove it aside, but the darkness wouldn't be ignored. I have to kill him!

  "Eve," Lucien whispered.

  She opened her eyes and looked down at him.

  "I love you," Lucien said. He slid his hand away from his bleeding wound and wrapped it around hers. His grip was incredibly weak.

  "I love you, too."

  She closed her eyes again, this time focusing on her love for Lucien. A warming sensation washed over her, pushing away the last of her anger
and fear. Heat ignited her hands and, in a matter of seconds, the wound on Lucien's chest closed over.

  "I'm going to go call Charlie and have him ready the boat," Henry said. "Meet us at the docks."

  Eve opened her eyes. Henry had Boaz in his arms.

  "We'll join you soon," she said, her voice tired.

  He nodded

  Henry exited the cabin, but after a few seconds the sound of his footsteps disappeared altogether. It didn't surprise her that he was powerful enough to teleport another being. One day she might be able to do the same.

  "I'm sorry for exploding the place," Lucien said as he sat up, grimacing. "Are you okay?"

  "I would have tried the same the thing." She reached up and pressed her palm to his cheek. "It's over. We did it."

  "I hope you're right." Lucien placed his hand on the floor and pushed up. He winced and almost fell back to the floor, but Eve caught him.

  "We've been through so much," Eve said. "I could've lost you tonight."

  "But you didn't." He pulled her to his chest and wrapped his arms around her.

  She rested her head against his shoulder. "Let's clean up Boaz's mess and then go somewhere. Somewhere far away."

  "I'd like that."

  She looked up at him and searched his eyes. "Our life together begins right now."

  As she walked out of the cabin, her arm linked through Lucien's, she glanced back at the destruction. Her plan had worked. Boaz could no longer hurt them. She should be ecstatic, completely happy, but there was a quivering in her stomach that made her want to run as far away as possible.

  22

  "Whose boat is this?" Lucien asked.

  He helped Eve make the leap from the dock to the stern of the boat, then removed his jacket. It was nearly four in the morning. The night had turned hot and suffocating. Moonlight shimmered across the lake's glassy surface, reflecting the surrounding mountains. According to Charlie, this was the largest and deepest lake in all of New York.

  "I rented it for the week," Charlie answered. He untied the rope from the dock and jumped aboard. "It's pretty nice. It even has a big cabin down below with a kitchen and bathroom. If you want, in a few days we could come back and go water skiing or something." Charlie scrunched his nose. "That seems way too normal for us, doesn't it?"