Blood of the Infinity War (Afterlife saga Book 8)

by Stephanie Hudson

  Cronus smiled and I hated that he was twisting a smile I used to love seeing, into something vile and truly evil.

  “Now send the Electus my way or your King is no more,” he snarled and just as I was about to take a step towards him Lucius stepped in front of me.

  “What are you doing, I have to save him!” I shouted up at him.

  “And I have to save you, trust me and watch the shadows.” This last part was said in my mind and I looked back to Draven to see him winking at me. For some reason, the action didn’t seem like it belonged to Draven and looked odd for a moment but it was clear Lucius and Draven had a plan and this…

  This was part of it.

  And I soon found out what this plan was.

  The next thing I saw was a purple glowing blade placed to Cronus’ own throat as a figure emerged from Sigurd’s shadows…

  “Draven?!” I shouted in question as I was clearly confused, now there seem to be two of them.

  “Lower your blade, Cronus!” The Draven at his back ordered digging his sword into his neck to further stress his demand. Cronus did and the Draven that had been threatened by his blade stepped forward. The next few moments happened so fast that one second I found myself smiling at our imminent victory and the next crying out in horror.

  “Drop the blade,” Draven said and Cronus did but he did so smiling. Why I didn’t know, not yet, not until suddenly Draven thrust his other blade deep through Cronus’ heart and out the other side. I could see it pierce its way through and Cronus cried out with his back bowing against it. But then instead of dying he started laughing.

  The sound chilled me to the bone.

  “No, something’s wrong, this is wrong,” I whispered as I felt it before it happened. Like an invisible veil of death was sweeping over me, past me, and straight to Draven.

  “You really think that is all it would take?” he asked and before any of us could react quickly enough he grabbed the Draven in front of him from behind and pulled him back onto the protruding blade from his chest, impaling him on the same glowing sword.

  “NO!” Draven cried out behind him and instantly pulled his blade back, drawing it into his arm freeing both pinned bodies.

  “NOOO!” I screamed as I watched Draven’s body quickly morph into the body of Ranka before she hit the floor with her knees. Then Cronus turned to the Draven at his back and roared,

  “I AM A GOD ON EARTH!” Then he lashed out all his power hitting out at Draven and flinging his body back so it smashed into the wall of demons. The sight of both Ranka on her knees waiting for death and Draven being hurled into the prey sent me over the edge. I stepped around Lucius, felt my power rising up quicker than ever before and let it rip in Cronus’ direction.

  But someone was ready for it and this wasn’t the first time they had felt the wrath of my power. Aurora stepped in from nowhere and with Cronus’ hand on her shoulder she took the hit. I was expecting her to go flying backwards like most people did. But with Cronus standing behind her, touching her he seemed to be helping her absorb my power.

  “KEIRA, NO!” Lucius bellowed in my direction as he knew…

  He knew what I had done.

  My mistake…and it was fatal to us all.

  I let my hand drop the second I realised it. I had somehow given Aurora some of my power and with one whispered word from Cronus in her ear she nodded and took off running. I didn’t know where she was going but I didn’t have long to find out as Cronus issued only one warning in my direction.

  “My turn!” Then he let rip his own powers at me and neither I or Lucius were powerful enough to stop it. Lucius threw himself in front of me but it wasn’t enough to leave me untouched. My body flew backwards as did Smidge’s and Lucius’ from the blast of power he threw at us like a sizzling blue wave of electricity.

  It shot through my body and even as I was travelling backwards towards the Janus Gate, I could feel it immobilize my body as it attacked every nerve. It felt as though it was singeing every cell inside me, making me useless for a short time. Lucius was the first to recover and pulling his sword he ran at Cronus and attacked from the front. I blinked a few times just to clear the fog of pain that had clouded my head only what I saw was beautiful. Draven had reappeared from nowhere and joined in the fight against him.

  Both Draven and Lucius attacked from each side and Cronus was left to fight them both, unleashing his own weapons. Long glowing chains that looked as if made from Tartarus were like lava and dripping with power. They were wrapped around both arms as he lashed them out, snapping them against anything they hit, leaving nothing but destruction in their wake. Lucius hit out his mighty sword Excalibur against them, moving with power and speed. Draven did the same against the glowing snakes, using both of his swords in great sweeping motions.

  But no matter the sight. No matter the bravery. No matter the strength, neither of them together or apart were strong enough to defeat him. They needed something more.

  “Damn it, think!” I shouted but the answer came from the most unlikely of sources.

  It was Janus.

  “Look to the past,” he told me, speaking in my mind and I did. I looked to the Gate first thinking is that where he wanted me to go…back to the past and try and change this. But how? Anything that happened back there didn’t change the outcome of the future here, so that would have been useless. But he said look to the past, well the only thing in this room that belonged to the past was me, me and…

  “Oh my god, it can’t be!” I uttered as I quickly looked towards my cloak. But it was what I could see inside it that has me gasping. I quickly got to my feet and ran over to it and the second I reached it I flipped it open to see that I was right. My eyes hadn’t been deceiving me. I had seen the hilt of a dagger. The hilt of my dagger.

  Then a memory played back to me…

  ‘Something for you to remember me by.’ Then Draven from the past had kissed me as not his only way of saying goodbye, as that wasn’t all he had been talking about. It was all starting to make sense now. The reason I went back in time wasn’t just to get pregnant as I thought. There was a reason to the time I picked, the dreams, the visions had all led me to pick that time for Pertinax. The only time I would ever manage to defeat a God and gain the one weapon to defeat Cronus.

  This was what they needed to kill a God.

  I needed to tell him!

  “Smidge, I need a distraction, do you have any ideas how we do that?” I asked her after getting up now I had the Glass Dagger firmly in my grasp.

  “I have an idea, yes,” she said in that knowing tone and before I knew what she was doing her eyes started to roll back until her irises were gone and milky white remained. Then a great white fog started to rise from the ground as if the floor had millions of tiny pores. It started to fill the space with a white-out, and then split creating a clear walkway for me. I ran down its path not questioning my actions any longer. I just followed my heart and my instincts. So, I ran towards Draven who I could see looking around for me.

  “Draven!” I shouted and after he looked beyond relieved, we met in the middle. He grabbed me, held me to him as if it gave him strength.

  “Keira, you need to get out, you need to…”

  “There is no time. Listen to me, you have to use this against him. It is the only thing that can kill him!”

  “Is this what I think it is?” he asked as he took the dagger in hand as if it was the first time he was seeing it in two thousand years. The spear he too had used once.

  “It’s what I used to kill Pertinax. It has his blood in it, maybe if Cronus is stabbed with it, it will be enough to stop him,” I said.

  “You believe this is the prophecy?” he asked me and I nodded.

  “Yes, I think it’s the reason I had to go back,” I told him and it was enough for him. He gripped the handle tight and after giving me a nod, he promised me.

  “Time to end this.” Then he walked back to Cronus who was nearly winning the fight against Luc
ius. Smidge sucked back the fog and not one for being wasteful, she pushed it all towards the demons behind the two fighting. Once it hit them she twisted her hands around and her eyes turned into that of dead flesh. The second they did this all the demons started to scream in high pitched death cries. I watched each one being stripped of their flesh like the fog carried acid vapour. An effective weapon indeed.

  “Nice,” I nodded in her direction making her smirk.

  “I have my uses,” she said cocking out her big, curvy hip and placing a hand to it. This now gave me a clear view of two things. The first was that Draven relayed in just a nod his plan and after Lucius saw the dagger he knew what to do. It was just like it was in the past I had stepped in on. Lucius was acting as a distraction whilst Draven silently went in for the kill. But that wasn’t the only thing I saw.

  “Aurora,” I hissed her name as I saw her walking over to a door surrounded by demons. No, it wasn’t just surrounded, it was being protected!

  “The seven seals, where are they?” I asked Smidge who shot me a terrified look. Then she shot her head towards where I was looking to see what I did. Aurora was glowing with new power…

  My stolen power.

  The demons saw her coming and parted, revealing the massive door behind. It was sectioned into four panels and each had a horse and rider engraved on it. One white, one red, one light grey and one black. I knew what it was and what those panels represented. Three great locks ran down each side and one from above. All seven locks connected to the centre of the huge door and all were attached to a metal scroll that I knew unlocked them all.

  “Oh, Gods no! She is going to unleash the Horsemen!” Smidge cried in horror.

  “But how, she isn’t the Seven…she doesn’t have the…” Smidge started to say but I interrupted her, playing the scene back in my head of when I was trying to hit out at Cronus in anger.

  “She does now,” I replied dryly.

  “But how?”

  “Because I just fucking gave it to her!” I said in anger knowing that what was behind those doors was enough to destroy us all.

  “Tell me of them.” I said quickly, knowing that if I knew what we faced there might be a way to stop it.

  “The first Horseman, the white, is Pestilence, inflictor of infectious disease and plague. The second is the Horseman of War, the red representing the blood of mass slaughter.” Okay so none of these were sounding like people we wanted to invite to the party but then it got worse.

  “The third is black like the land he kills, The Horseman of Famine and death of the earth.”

  “Christ, what’s that last one?” I said knowing it was no doubt going to be the worst and I was right.

  “The Pale, he is the fourth and final Horseman and his name is simply Death.”

  “So, what you’re saying is that we are totally screwed if she manages to open that gate.”

  “Yes, that is what I am saying.” I looked towards everyone fighting and I knew that if I had the power of seven like Lucius thought I did then it was time to use it! And right now, I needed my Kings more than ever. So, I did what I did best, I closed my eyes and called out in my mind.

  “Vincent, Jared, Sigurd, Seth, I need you. Aurora is trying to open the gate to unleash The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse…she needs to be stopped at all costs!” I heard Jared’s beast roar in acceptance and saw Vincent flying overhead. Then Seth let out a mighty battle cry, which was a weapon in itself. It destroyed even more of the doors and the current wave of demons inside them. Then he turned around with the destruction behind him to come to our aid. Last of all was Sigurd who was the only one that said,

  “Yeah, sure thing darlin, never liked the bitch anyway.” He did this next to us and shrugged off his long jacket to show a large muscular body covered in spinning tattoos. He rolled his shoulders before letting loose. Four Kings, for four Horsemen. It was all starting to make sense now. Every single step I had taken was to ensure for this day. This Battle.

  My Kings.

  Sigurd was the only one that would be able to fight disease without it touching him. Vincent was one of the greatest warriors known to this world, so he would be able to fight against the one called War. Jared was a beast of the Earth and would therefore fight against Famine. And then there was Seth who was Death himself, and therefore would fight the Pale Horseman…the worst of his kind.

  “And that leaves…” I looked to see Lucius was fighting Cronus but after taking a hit in just the right moment, he dropped to one knee. I knew it was now or never, as Draven was just getting in position to strike. But then Aurora turned and saw it.

  “CRONUS!” she screamed and just before the others could reach her she threw all her stolen power into the scroll unlocking all bolts at once. Each lock twisted inwards to release the door and at the same time, Cronus twisted away from Draven’s oncoming blow. The second the door opened, Cronus must have felt a wave of power coming at him because he seemed to suck in an unseen energy.

  “Lucius get back!” Draven roared trying to save his friend and he did just before the killing blow could come down on his head. Lucius rolled out of the way with the last of his energy but it wasn’t enough to return the favour.

  “I think it’s time for a little payback,” Cronus said and he suddenly made a fist with his hand, which started to control Draven’s body, making it taut. Draven still gripped the dagger and I could see him exerting his will on Draven. He tried to fight it, you could see him trying to use all of his own willpower to push Cronus out of his mind. To push him back. But as the dagger continued to get closer towards his own chest I didn’t think.

  I just acted.

  I ran towards them and screamed,

  “NO! GET AWAY FROM HIM!”

  “Keira no!” Draven shouted back but I wasn’t listening. I was just running. I needed to get to him. I needed to save his life as if this was my only purpose. As if this was the only reason I was here. Maybe it wasn’t to stop this. Maybe it wasn’t to prevent the end at all. But what if I was his Chosen One, his Electus just to stop him from dying. To protect him so that he could stop it!

  So that he could stop the end of days. Even if that meant doing so without me in the world with him.

  Well, I no longer cared.

  The one and only thing in that moment in time I cared about was stopping Draven’s death. Nothing else mattered. So as the battle raged on around me I ran. I ran to the man I loved knowing there was no going back now. This was it.

  This was my time.

  My time to die.

  Cronus saw me coming and at the just the right second he forced Draven’s mind against not only himself but against me. Draven stepped towards me and before he or anyone else could make a move to stop it,

  Draven plunged the dagger deep into my chest as he cried out his own pain for being forced to do it.

  “NO!” he bellowed out in sheer agony just as Lucius did. He let go of the dagger embedded in my chest, one put there by his own unwilling hand.

  “NO, NO, NO!” he screamed again and grabbed my body as I started to fall backwards.

  But it was no use.

  The prophecy was complete. It was never about me having a baby and bringing hope to the world. A new saviour. No, it was only about this moment.

  My Death…At Draven’s hands.

  For Draven had killed me.

  Chapter 47

  Unlikely Gods

  It was different this time.

  Death.

  It was different than last time. Now there was no Heavenly presence to take over my vessel and claim victory on the day. There was nothing but the feel of my soul as it left my body. I looked down at it, at the sight and I wanted to weep for it. As it was clear now it was all for nothing. I had sacrificed it all and for what? The battle still raged on and now the door was open for great demonic Horsemen to emerge. Ready to wreak havoc on the Earth and destroy all I loved.

  All hope was lost.

  Oh yes, I wanted to cry
out as one of my nightmares now played out in front of me. But it was no longer a vision of my fears, it was now the reality of my death. I was currently being held in Draven’s arms, as he cradled my body to him. He cried out to the world, cursing it and the Fates for all of this. He cried out my name and cursed me for leaving him. But in the next moment after cursing me he was then placing his mouth to mine and whispering words of love over my still, dead lips. It was a bitter sweet memory for me to take with me into the Afterlife.

  My forever Afterlife.

  I felt myself rising up to impossible heights until suddenly the sight of everyone I loved still fighting, fighting until there was nothing left to fight for…

  Well they all disappeared.

  A blinding white light enveloped me and at first, I wondered if I wasn’t back in the Void. I wanted to plead and beg the first person I came across, but I never expected who that would be. I soon found myself as I looked on Earth. A stunning white dress, in what was supposed to symbolise the first day joined to my husband in the eyes of God, now symbolised nothing but my death by his hands. I knew he would never forgive himself, no matter how anyone tried to tell him it was my fault. I had been the one to run into that blade, no matter whose hand was behind it.

  Because the truth was I had been blinded by my love for him and I didn’t regret it. For he still lived, even if I didn’t. My only regret was that I wasn’t the only life I sacrificed. I looked down and placed a hand to my belly and then fell to my knees and cried. I cried for not only everything I had lost, but all that Draven had lost also, more than he would ever know.

  But I knew there was only one destination left for me now. I looked up and saw the gleaming white steps in front of me. I wasn’t certain where they led, but I knew there was no road left to take but this one. I could see nothing up at the top but maybe that was the point. One last leap of faith into the unknown. There was no pearly white gates ready to be swept aside and opened, granting the righteous access. There was just me in a white dress ready to take my first steps to the end.