“Looks like the beasts are up first,” Jared said rolling his shoulders and stepping forward getting ready for the change. Orthrus, Chase and Otto followed suit and Sigurd nudged Ragnar and said,
“I think that means you’re up too, old man.” Ragnar growled and made his way to the front.
“I think he’s just thankful to be out of the clutches of the old woman…no offence, little Queen,” Caspian joked as he too made his way to the front.
“What can I say, it runs in the family.” Then I winked at him making everyone chuckle.
“My old friend,” Draven said looking to his side and I looked back to see Leivic grinning as he was the last to join the frontline. He gave me a tap on the nose and whispered down at me,
“Time for the teddy bear,” making me smile and I knew all these jokes were said to try and ease the tension because this wasn’t just a fight.
This was a fight for the world.
A fight to prevent the end of days and it was here…on our fucking wedding day of all days…Bloody typical!
I watched as seven men all took the front before us and one by one they started to change. Black sand rose up from the earth to engulf Orthrus, leaving behind a beast with the skin of cooling molten rock that cracked, showing the glow of hot power beneath the surface. Chase became the sleekest of the four, like a panther covered in shiny thick red oil and his husband became a beast of deadly skin, covered in spikes.
Jared shrugged out of his leather jacket and he held it a moment and said to me,
“I would ask you to look after this but I remember the last time and even though I don’t see a red nose in sight, I think I will take my chances…no offense, doll.” Then he winked at me and tossed the jacket to one side where the likelihood of it surviving was slim to nil. But he was right, they were probably even worst odds with me, as I wasn’t exactly reliable for keeping out of trouble.
Jared was next in line to change and as he bent forward his back quickly moulded to triangular shaped scales. His body became something so ancient it could be considered Jurassic as his skin turned into hardened clumps of cemented fur, tipped with silver.
Caspian turned into his other self and became that of the stuff of legends…the Minotaur. Mighty horns grew as did Ragnar’s when he too started to make the change, growing triple in size. But whereas Ragnar’s encased his skull in a helmet of horn, Caspian’s grew large and wide, ready to use them as a battering ram.
And here they were…
Afterlife’s beasts of the battle.
They met the overwhelming odds head on and they might have been few against the masses but they were mighty and each took out the larger beasts with a brutality that had only ever been witnessed in fantasy movies…but this was no story, this was real.
Leivic started off running as a man but the second he leapt through the air, he landed on one of the beast’s back as a wild demonic bear. He started tearing into the skull beast as if he was playing his favourite game.
The Hell beasts seemed to be enjoying themselves just as much as they tore into the bigger beasts, working as a pack and surrounding their prey. Great howls of pain and anger echoed along the halls as each of the chained beasts fell one by one, their many keepers alongside them. The flaw in Cronus’ plan started to become clear as the portal would only allow so many in and like this, they were easy for the picking. But this was when things went from achievable, we might actually win this, to shit street in a heartbeat.
“You think that is all I have to offer, Son of Asmodeus!?” Cronus bellowed before laughing and the second after he finished a rumbling started, only it didn’t come through the floor, it came through the remaining walls.
“Fall back to the Main Temple!” Draven shouted then grabbed my hand and pulled me with him. The beasts heard the calling and must have trusted Draven enough to know something else was coming.
“What…what is it?” I asked as we ran to where the Janus Gate stood still flowing at its centre. The beasts all fell back after finishing with their kills but the walls kept thundering.
“He is opening all the gates, calling forth more of his army and summoning them from the other lands,” Draven told me as one by one all the doors burst open as if a bomb had been placed behind each gateway. A rippling wave of destruction travelled along the hallways until out of sight.
“Jesus!” I hissed and Sigurd walked past me and replied sarcastically,
“I doubt he can help us here, darlin’.” Then he started to suck in all the shadows around him, using the darkness that came from the portal against itself and harnessing it as a weapon. It swirled around him in such a way that it kept growing in size, until soon the shadowed serpents I had been used to seeing were ten times as big. They both lashed out ahead of him like something that had risen straight out of 20 Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. The massive tentacles hit out at the walls just as creatures started to emerge. He looked like the master of shadows all right, he looked powerful enough right now to take on a God and win.
“He must have more than this planned,” Sophia said stepping up to Draven along with Vincent and Zagan. Seeing Vincent in his angelic form was always a masterful and holy sight. Massive gleaming white wings curled by his feet and framed his strong powerful body, one that was dressed in silver. His arms were completely covered in elaborately engraved silver plates that all joined to one massive shoulder piece, that curved up around his neck. Scrolls of symbols and a piece of his forearm gilded with gold inlay displaying the elements of the sky. The armour was completed by a connecting piece at the inside of his elbow that curved round to promote movement.
Both arms were covered, yet his torso wasn’t and was currently bare, displaying a strong muscular stomach rippling with hard abs and hard pecs. This was covered in strapping of black leather crossed over so that a massive sword held at his side could hang freely. Small deadly looking silver throwing stars tipped in gold were also attached in leather holders down one side. Talk about the Avenging Angel, he looked as if he had just dropped down straight from the gates of Heaven.
But as one was from Heaven, the other was from Hell.
Sophia was also in her other form, with her smoky wings following her every move and half of her face demonically changed into something terrifying. She too was dressed more like a warrior than the graceful and glamourous girl I remember seeing for the first time at college. The second she had first stepped inside that classroom, everyone there was half in love with her and without needing to do no more than grant them a smile. But that was part of her allure. No one would have expected her to be what she was, but I didn’t care because to me she was beautiful inside and out, no matter what ‘out’ I was looking at.
“I agree, he is planning something more,” Draven said looking back to Cronus through the shadows of battle Sigurd was currently single-handedly waging against the walls. But he could only cover one of the hallways and there were eight in total.
“LOOK!” I shouted just as more of the doors started exploding within. Creatures of every type imaginable started to jump down from the higher rows and others started running our way surrounding us from all sides.
“Zagan, call forth your legions to cover that passageway. Hakan can you cover the right with Liessa and Ruto?” He nodded as he was always a man of few words. His painted eyes looked to where the other threat was headed our way. Then he started to uncurl his wired body ready to unleash his wrath onto the foolish oncoming wave of bodies.
“About fucking time I got some action,” Ruto said before releasing his metal wings in a deadly show of power and flying up to start attacking the ones trying to climb down from the top balcony of doors.
“Let my husband know I am getting all oiled up, he gets to lick me clean later,” Liessa said winking at me before dropping her jacket and showing us all her naked body underneath. The entirety of her body was covered in suckered skin like on the tentacles of an octopus and each had started to secrete a deadly ink.
; By the time she had swaggered her curvy body over to the hallway, she was covered in black ink from head to toe as though she had been dipped in the stuff. Only her hands remained clean. I watched as all three of them quickly started to dispatch the enemy one by one. Hakan sliced out with his razor wire, cutting them in half before they could even get close. Ruto rained down his deadly tipped spearheads from his wings. And Liessa fired out her poison of death in a great mist.
“Vincent, Sophia, go and wreak havoc next to our friends.” They both smiled at each other and Sophia hit her brother’s arm and said,
“Don’t cheat this time.” Then she pulled the loaded guns from her holsters and aimed before taking her first shot. Vincent drew his massive sword that looked to have been forged in Heaven by Zeus himself.
“I make no promises, little sister.” Then they were off.
“Takeshi, if you please.” Draven nodded and I almost asked wouldn’t he need back up but then I quickly found out that he wasn’t going in alone. He drew both his samurai swords and they ignited in blue flames, and he nodded to Marcus for some strange reason.
“Jester, if you please, I think your master summons you.” I had seen him once before fighting and he was now dressed the same. He was dressed like a modern-day pirate. His long dark red leather jacket had black metal buttons down its length and large cuffs folded back, only this time added to this was a faded ‘Welcome to Vegas’ T shirt and a thin red scarf wrapped around his neck a few times.
“As you wish My Lord. Do me a favour dolly, keep my dear Smidge out of trouble.” Then he bowed in that over dramatic way of his before joining who surprisingly was his master. He pulled his sword free and as Takeshi had done, he lit it on fire.
“It is as I taught you, Master Mareo.” I heard Takeshi say and Marcus bowed to him in return, this time out of respect and not with any theatrics. Then they both ran at each side of the wall, holding out a sword and cutting through not only the creatures coming from the doors but also, setting the entire wall either side ablaze.
“Cerberus!” Draven shouted and pointed in the direction of one of the other halls. He got the hint and roared to call his men and once again they went in for the kill.
“Ragnar!” he called out and it was clear who the general in all this was. Draven was a master at this and I shuddered to think of how many battles he had fought and armies he had commanded.
Ragnar’s head snapped up after dispatching a large demon that had human skulls incorporated in its armour. Thankfully, its head was currently being ripped from its neck and Ragnar dropped the now bloody body part and swiftly stepped on its skull as he made his way back to us.
“Hey, big guy,” I said making him wink at me in acknowledgment.
“Take Leivic and Caspian, I need you to cover the hall on the left.” Draven said and Ragnar growled his acceptance. Then he made a demonic call, notifying the others. The three of them went charging at the oncoming horde.
“One hallway left.” I said.
“And lucky for us, we have one badass left,” Draven informed me.
“Draven no!” I said getting fearful he would take one alone when he said,
“My job is protecting you…Seth go and deliver your judgement!” He called out and Seth who was the only one still dressed as he had been for the wedding stepped up to us.
“I will aid you in whatever it takes to keep my Chosen safe but you must know, this will not end well unless something is unleashed,” he said cryptically, nodding down at me.
“Go, do what you can.” Seth nodded and then he started to transform into something utterly terrifying. I had never seen it in my own mind before as it was Katie who had witnessed it. However, I knew this memory wasn’t my own but it was freely shared so expected. His face warped from handsome into death before it truly started to change and it was a monster of the likes I had never thought possible. An abomination many would have called him, I on the other hand just called it lucky that he was on our side.
Elongated and misshapen bone looked to be made from blackened stone and it erupted from the centre of him as he doubled over. Eyes that had once been white had now changed to dark holes in the skull with a tiny white dot lit in the centre. Pointed teeth and long fangs were rooted all the way from either side of the open nose bone and he snapped his jaws at the emerging enemy.
Then he unleashed that dark power on the entirety of the hallway and in seconds, there was nothing but raining ash.
“That’s all of them, but what now?” I asked knowing it was like Seth had said, we couldn’t hold them back forever.
“Now I cut the head of the fucking snake and watch as his army falls!” Draven snarled and unleashed his own power. His two swords grew from the insides of his wrists and I wanted to hold him back and beg him not to go. But I knew this was what he did. This was who he was. And he was an unstoppable force.
“Smidge, watch her…Lucius, protect her.” I looked to see that she wasn’t the only one that remained as Lucius was also now at my side. I looked back at Smidge and found myself amazed to find that she was an angel. Her flaming orange hair now looked like rose gold and a pair of beautiful shaped wings were white and tipped the same rose peach colour. They looked so soft I was almost tempted to reach out and touch them. But it was Lucius’ voice that brought me back to our War.
“I will protect her,” Lucius said stepping closer to me as if he knew that this was his role all along. Then Smidge nodded and I watched as Draven started to go to battle, walking through the shadows Sigurd produced.
“Will he…?”
“Succeed? I don’t know, after all he is now fighting a God,” Lucius said and there was something that struck me about the way he said it. He was fighting a God, we never thought possible to kill one before. Yet I had done it. Was that what I was always meant to do with my powers. Was that my path, my prophecy to take?
“But there must be a way, for he hasn’t unleashed the Titans yet and to do that…what would he need Lucius?” I said taking hold of his leather straps, ones that held rows of throwing knifes against his own armour, one subtler and more fitting for an assassin. A hood and cloak gave him that dark appearance I knew he used well when sneaking up behind his prey before silently slicing their throat.
“He would need to open the seven seals, once that happens he would bring forth the…”
“The what, the Titans?” I asked in a strained desperate voice.
“No, the four Horsemen,” he replied and I looked around at all the chaos and knew that we couldn’t fight much more. Even Zagan, who was bringing forth his own army of Hell out of a mighty hole in the ground, looked to be evenly matched against the other army coming his way.
“Oh god.”
“Where are these seals Lucius, where would he find them?” I asked looking around the room as if I was going to find them just lying around here somewhere.
“It is said that opening the seven seals which secure the scroll that John of Patmos saw in his Revelation of Jesus Christ, will bring forth the start of the end of days. In John's vision, the only one worthy to open the scroll is referred to as both the ‘Lion of Judah’ and the ‘Lamb having seven horns and seven eyes’ but there are some who believe it is not true, but the one that harnesses the power of Seven…” He started to think about what he was saying, giving more severity to the thought.
“But who could…?” He turned me to face him, taking my shoulders before hitting me with the truth.
“It’s you Keira,” he stated and I took a step back and uttered a whispered,
“What…no…that’s not possible?”
“The only one here that can harness the power of the seven is you. You’re the Light that guides us to follow you. Our Electus. The power of the Seven is the six Kings and one Queen. Dominic, Vincent, Sigurd, Jared, Seth and I…you are the Seventh. He is going to try and use you somehow to unleash the gate.”
“What gate?”
“The gate to the Horsemen as they will await the
ir calling. They will then have the power to destroy us all and the door to Tartarus will be open for his reborn Gods to take over this plane…to take over every plane,” Lucius told me and I didn’t know if what he spoke about was right, about me being the Seventh. But then considering what part that number had played in my life, well I couldn’t exactly deny it.
“Well, if it helps I am not exactly going to be opening any doors for him anytime soon.”
“You may not have a choice,” Lucius said sounding grim and nodding for me to look behind me. What I saw made me take a step closer just before I nearly went running.
“No…oh God please no.” The prayer came out of me in a trembling breath. Cronus had Draven with a blade to his throat and was currently forcing him forward and Sigurd back.
“Withdraw your Ouroboros, shadow King or I will slit his throat and bleed his vessel dry with help from the poison coated on my blade,” Cronus said forcing Draven forward and in sight of me.
Sigurd didn’t exactly do as he said but instead he moved to the side, pulling back his serpents but not his shadows.
Draven staggered forward another step, clearly bloody from the fight against Cronus. I wanted to cry out at the sight. I felt my body starting to shake as both anger and fear merged into one. I wanted to lash out at Cronus for doing this. For daring to threaten the life of the one I loved. But I couldn’t. It was too dangerous with that blade against his neck. And I wasn’t exactly without my own knowledge of what poison it could be or what it could do.
So, what did this mean?
Was this really the end? Was this what we had come here to face, impossible odds and lose at the first hurdle?
For if Draven fell then all would be lost. But nothing could have stopped what came next and never would I ever rid myself of that image…
An image of Draven dying at the hand of his own blade.
Chapter 46
Glass and Blood
Blood of the Infinity War (Afterlife saga Book 8) Page 54
