Sodom smiled as if he was expecting the attack. The chain in his hands began to glow with yellow energy as Kassidy screamed out in pain. A yellow force field made up of a million tiny yellow comets formed and raced around Sodom, Rolf, and Kassidy.
Alan reached the wall of energy and battered it with his sword. The sound of steel meeting an impenetrable barrier resonated through the air. Alan’s wings slashed at the force field of energy feeding from Sodom, with no avail. Both his wings and his sword did nothing to the obstruction in front of him. Chest heaving, Alan lowered his weapon. “Let her go.”
A wicked smile came to Sodom’s lips. “Oh now it’s time for words, is it?”
“Let her go,” Alan repeated.
“Do you understand the power the Horsemen are given once chosen?” Sodom asked. “They are provided the ability of gods, even rivaling the power of the Archangels themselves.”
Alan barely heard the question come from the Fallen leader’s lips. His eyes were directed down to Kassidy. The girl looked up at him through strands of dirty hair. She couldn’t mouth the words, but her eyes said everything.
In that moment, Alan knew he would do anything to save her. The battle still raging around them, Alan threw down his sword. “Take me.”
Sodom clenched the chain in his hands even tighter. Yellow streams of energy fed off Kassidy and transferred her power into the demon. “And why would I do that?”
Alan lifted his eyes from Kassidy. Nothing else mattered in the moment. He didn’t care if Cratos had made it or if his own life was in danger. He wouldn’t let Kassidy suffer any longer. “You feed off the strength of others, is that right?”
Sodom nodded.
“Well, Kassidy is only beginning to discover how strong she truly is. I, on the other hand, have had weeks to prepare and train. I’ll trade my life for hers.”
“It’s a trick,” Rolf said, speaking for the first time. “He’s not going to sacrifice himself.”
“I am and I will,” Alan said.
“Alan,” Kassidy gasped, “you can’t.”
Sodom ignored her words and looked Alan up and down. “I accept.”
“Then let her go,” Alan said.
Sodom nodded, releasing the barrier around him and moving to unshackle Kassidy. “I’ll open the chain on one of her wrists, and you put the shackle on. Then I’ll release her second arm.”
Alan understood the risk he was taking. He had no assurance Sodom would keep to the plan once Alan and Kassidy each had a wrist in the chains. Still, what option did he have?
True to his word, Alan approached and allowed Sodom to chain him once Kassidy’s right hand was free. The steel felt cold on his flesh. Alan half expected Sodom to pull some kind of trick once he had him; he wasn’t the only one surprised once Sodom released Kassidy’s second bond and ushered her to go.
“Your worship?” Rolf asked, confused.
Sodom batted his words away as he shackled Alan’s remaining wrist. “She is nothing to me now. I’ve drained her to within an inch of her life. It will take days, if not weeks, for her to recover. By that time, the war will be won.”
It was true. Kassidy was so weak she stumbled away from the group. Her eyes were red and tears flooded down her cheeks as she tried to mouth words to Alan.
There was no time for good-byes. Alan knew this as Seraphim separated herself from the surrounding battle and ran to Kassidy’s side. Already, Alan could feel Sodom sapping his energy.
“Go,” Alan shouted to both women, “go before he—”
Pain rippled across Alan’s body as Sodom drained power from him. A million heated needles tore through his skin and muscles. “Go!” Alan shouted again as he fell to the dirt ground. His eyes were dulling. He welcomed the oncoming darkness that would free him from the torture.
---
“Let me go!” Seraphim shouted. “I can save him. Let me save him.”
Esther, along with a trio of angelic soldiers, wrestled Seraphim back to the Temple steps. Angelica was waiting for them there, holding an unconscious Kassidy in her arms like a baby. “It’s done,” Esther said, fighting back the sadness she heard in her own voice. “It’s what he wanted. He knew what he was doing. Cratos made it through their lines. If we stayed, we would have been slaughtered. Cratos will come back with his people. Then, then we will save Alan.”
Seraphim shook herself free from her captors. Her wings shot out from either side of her back, one jet black and one made of a dull grey steel—the appendage Alan made for her after her run-in with Gabriel. The wing, along with the scar on the right side of her face, was a constant reminder of her weakness, and she hated it.
Seraphim stared down the group of enemies that had chased them to the Temple of Artemis’s steps. She would kill them all before the day was over. Before she could move forward, Seraphim felt a small hand on her arm. It was Artemis; the reincarnation of the ancient prophet had manifested itself in the body of a small girl with wild brown hair. “I know how much you care for him. But if you go now, you will die.”
Seraphim jerked her arm away. “I don’t care what happens to me. I’m a leader without anyone to lead. I’m alone now, and if no one else will go to save Alan then I will.”
Artemis shook her head. “We will save Alan, but this is not the time. Listen to Esther. Cratos will return, we will get him back, we will defeat Sodom. But right now, we have a Horsewoman who needs to be healed, trained, and her steed must be awoken. That is how you fight for him.”
Seraphim hated every word coming out of Artemis’s mouth because she knew the child was right. Seraphim bottled her anger and sheathed her sword. Her wings rested on her back as she stalked back into the Temple to find out what had happened to Kassidy. “We’ll need to get Danielle or one of the other healers to restore her power.”
Artemis ran along beside her. “Yes, Angelica has taken her inside now. I know how angry you are, but I also have some good news.”
Seraphim tilted her head to look down on the small girl struggling to keep pace with her own long strides.
“Raphael is awake.”
If any news could make Seraphim feel better, this was it. The Archangel Raphael had been unconscious since the battle with Gabriel. Using minotaur blood as a channel, he had reclaimed his own power previously taken by Gabriel. Since the event, he had been out cold. If the Archangel was coherent again, he would be a great asset.
“Show me,” Seraphim said to Artemis.
Artemis grinned and ran ahead of Seraphim, through the long halls of the Temple and toward a heavy oak door. Without a knock, Artemis opened the door and ushered Seraphim inside with a bow.
Ignoring the young girl’s strange antics, Seraphim walked to the center of the room, where a large bed stood against the far wall. A man with greyish white hair and a full beard to match was propped up on a mountain of pillows. “She keeps insisting I need more pillows.” He coughed with a wince of pain. “I think she’s cleared out the entire Temple.”
Artemis giggled. “Please, who doesn’t love pillows? I’m going to leave you two to talk now.”
Seraphim raised an eyebrow at her cryptic words.
“Just trust me,” Artemis said as she left the room. “You two need to talk.”
“She’s wise far beyond her years,” Raphael said. “A little strange the prophetess chose a child’s body, but she was always strange … and she was right; we do need to talk.”
Seraphim nodded slowly. She still wanted to go out and save Alan from his captors, but Raphael’s presence was enough to hold her in check for the time being. He was one of the last three Archangels remaining after the many years of war. Gabriel was chained in the Temple’s dungeon and Michael was missing.
“I’ve been updated with the events of the last few hours. The Battle of the Horsemen is approaching quickly,” Raphael said, pushing himself further up to a sitting position. “I wish I had been there when you rescued Kassidy. It should be me, not Alan, held as a prisoner.”
Seraphim remained silent.
“I am breaking promises I swore I’d never even bend. I was done with killing, but I can see that violence is sometimes the only answer. So many more people will die on both sides. Are you ready for what comes next?”
Seraphim looked Raphael directly in the eye. “I am.”
A sadness, laced with determination, settled over Raphael. “Then God forgive us for what we do now. The Apocalypse must be stopped at all costs. Only then can we concentrate on finding Michael and uniting the supernatural and human plane once again.”
“Kassidy will have to be healed and prepared in the next few days,” Seraphim said.
“Yes,” agreed Raphael. “And I’ll be ready to fight once Cratos and the Minotaur Nation return. The steeds must also be awoken. I understand Alan met his ‘horse’ during his time at the Temple, but Kassidy must awaken hers.”
“I’ll make sure it’s done,” Seraphim said, turning to go.
“Seraphim.”
She hesitated with her hand on the door and looked over her shoulder. “I know how much you have lost. I cannot only sympathize, but empathize, with your pain. Hiding your emotions will only serve to cripple you from the inside out as it did to me for so many years. Trust me.”
“I’m fine. The Death Angels are abandoned. I can accept that. They all died, and for whatever reason, I survived. I’m done being a leader.”
Seraphim opened the door, but before she could close it and hide the tears forcing themselves from her eyes, she heard Raphael’s last words. “The best leaders in history never wanted the responsibility.”
Chapter One Hundred Nineteen
“Again.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“Do I look like the kind of woman that kids?”
“Ahhh,” Tracy said in exasperation, “come on, Ardat. We’ve been at this for hours. The sun is setting and we’re on a beach. I’m tired and hungry and—”
“Have you always whined this much?” Ardat asked.
“I’m not whining. I didn’t want to be chosen for this thing. I’ve never fought anyone before. Come to think of it, I’ve never even hit anyone before.”
“Food and rest once you can call on your wings,” Ardat said for the hundredth time.
Tracy let out a low growl of frustration. In the hours they’d been practicing, Tracy had been able to create and recreate the dome of green energy that shielded her from an attack. Ardat had shown her some hand-to-hand moves, but now trying to push wings from her back that she didn’t even know she had was too much.
“This is crazy,” Tracy said again after another failed attempt. “I’m not meant for this kind of thing. I’m not a fighter or a warrior. I like nice things like shoes and iced coffees. I’m—I’m too weak.”
“You’re not weak,” Ardat said with a sigh.
“How do you know that?”
“Because you’ve accepted your new reality so far and you’ve even begun making improvement. A weak person’s mind would still be struggling to grasp the situation. A weak person would be scared and perhaps even crying right now. You are not weak. I’ve seen weak, Tracy. I’ve killed weak.” Ardat waited for a moment for her words to settle in. She took the silence to eye Tracy up and down. “You’re not weak. Spoiled and ignorant, maybe.”
A look of confusion wiped some of the exhaustion off Tracy’s face at Ardat’s backhanded compliment. In truth, Ardat herself was surprised she had said something she would consider “kind” to Tracy. It wasn’t exactly in her nature to coddle someone, even if it was preceded by tough love.
Still, if she was ever going to have a chance at finding out what happened to Michael, Tracy had to be trained to aid the Light in the War of the Horsemen. The Shaman had assured her that only with a victory for the side of the Light, could Michael ever be found again.
“All right,” Tracy whispered. “I’ll try. I’m just not good at anything. I—”
“That’s enough of that talk.” Ardat snapped back to her usual stoic state. “If you keep telling yourself you are no good and weak then that is what you will be. Now try again.”
Ardat watched as Tracy bit back another complaint. Eyes slanted, Tracy concentrated. “Good,” Ardat said, “clear your mind from anything around you. Look into yourself and know what you are. Know what you are capable of becoming.”
“I—I don’t know—”
“Yes you do. You’ve known all along somewhere deep down that you are different. Accept that and move on. Free that force inside.”
Tracy’s eyes opened. At the same time, two electric emerald-green wings burst from her back. Tracy tried looking behind her, fear on her face as much as awe.
“Easy,” Ardat warned, “you’re in control. They won’t hurt you. You can order them where to go and what to do with a thought. Just like you’d move your arms or legs, they are part of you now.”
The fear on Tracy’s face subsided ever so slightly as her wings beat from side to side in a slow gentle rhythm. “I, I have wings,” she said.
“You do and there is much more than that,” Ardat agreed. “I promised you a break. You’ll need your rest for tomorrow.”
Tracy tore her eyes from her wings and followed Ardat across the beach. “Why? What’s tomorrow?”
Ardat didn’t look back. She headed for the bridge that connected the small island where the Lighthouse of Alexandria stood to the mainland. “Tomorrow you’ll learn how to fight and how to fly.”
Ardat heard Tracy suck in her breath as the two women reached the bridge. “How, how do I turn this off?”
Ardat looked behind her this time. Tracy was walking like she had been drinking. Trying to look behind her at her wings and concentrate where she was going was proving quite a challenge for the exhausted girl. “How would you put your hand in your pocket or flex a muscle? They are part of you now. Your wings and the force field around you will obey your commands. You only have to concentrate.”
Tracy bit her lower lip. Within seconds, both her wings had receded into her back and the shimmering green orb of energy surrounding her was gone. Tracy looked at Ardat with wonder. “Thank you.”
Ardat shrugged. “Let’s get you something to eat, then rest—”
“No, I mean it,” Tracy said, running to catch up with Ardat. “Nobody has ever taken the time like that. No one has ever believed in me like you did.”
Ardat wasn’t sure what to say as the wide-eyed girl heaped praises on her. “Yes, well, you have a long way to go. Now stop looking at me like that.”
---
Alan woke to a throbbing headache and a body that felt like he was run over by a herd of minotaurs. Every inch of his being, inside and out, felt some kind of pain. He was sitting inside a small tent. The flaps were closed, hiding any kind of light. His arms were secured behind him around a single wooden pole that acted as the main support for the fabric structure.
Alan grimaced as he tested his bonds. He could feel the rope around his wrists dig into his flesh as he struggled to be loose from his bonds. To Alan’s surprise, no amount of strength would tear him free of the rope. What should have been as easy as tearing a blade of grass in his grip was now impossible.
Like a hammer falling, Alan realized his strength was gone. Calling on his supernatural ability was useless. No wings came from his back, no energy surged from his being. His well was dry.
“It’s funny how fast things can change, isn’t it?”
Alan flinched at the voice coming from somewhere behind him. He didn’t realize there was someone else in the tent. He tried to turn his head to see the speaker, but his bonds wouldn’t budge even the slightest bit. Already, Alan could feel the sensation from his fingers being lost to a feeling of pins and needles.
“Your powers belong to me now, Horseman,” Sodom said, walking from his position to Alan and stopping in front of him. “Kassidy’s and yours are mine to command. Not too bad for a day’s work, the Horsemen of Famine and War at my disposal.”
&n
bsp; “Why don’t you free me from this post, and we’ll see how much of my power you actually have,” Alan said.
Sodom laughed, a booming, mirthless sound that echoed through the tent. The large demon bent down to Alan’s level. Despite the black cloak he wore, Alan could see the muscles bend and flex under the fabric. “Courageous words for someone who now possess all the strength of a human. Do you understand my supernatural gift, Alan?”
Alan opened his mouth to reply, but before he could get a single word out, Sodom struck him across the jaw. Alan’s already aching skull intensified with pain. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth.
Sodom went on as if nothing had happened. “I take and store the talents of others, both demon and angel. Even now, I have Kassidy’s and your own energy coursing through my body, waiting for an outlet. When your kind finally makes their move, when the Four Horsemen battle, something will happen that has never happened in history. A fifth contender will enter the fight. Once I get my hands on the other two Horsemen and absorb their power, I will be unstoppable. I will be one in four. I alone will herald the Apocalypse, bringing an end to both the supernatural and human planes.”
Alan couldn’t believe his ears. Sodom was mad. His mind reeled with the implications of the words spoken.
“Not so eager to reply now, are you, Alan?” Sodom laughed again.
“This won’t work,” Alan said.
“Oh, and why not?”
“We’ll stop you.”
“Who? You? The decimated ranks of the Angelic Army? That old Archangel, Raphael? Bah! He should have remained with the identity that fit him the best. Poseidon was a force to be reckoned with during the Greek era. Now he’s an old man. No, Alan Price, you are very much alone.”
Something took hold of Alan then, something that refused to be beaten and dragged through the mud like he had his entire adolescent life. Bullies were everywhere and Sodom was no different. “I’m going to kill you before this is all over,” Alan said. “I will find a way to stop you. You’re not going to hurt anyone else.”
The Complete Archangel Wars Series: A Shared Universe Series (The Archangel Wars) Page 59
