Empyreal (The Earthborn Series Book 1)

by Spencer Helsel

  “Ethan.”

  “Oh, Dani!”

  “We just need to find him. He’s alive. That thing won’t kill him. It took him for a reason.”

  Her friend exchanged glances with Nessus in a very human-like way. It didn’t take a genius to figure out they didn’t believe her.

  “He’s alive. I know it.” She insisted. “I have to go.”

  “Dani, your arm is hurt badly.”

  “I have to go. I’m glad you’re both okay.” She left as quickly as she could. She didn’t like what Caesar implied. Getting away from her was the only way she could not think about it.

  Asaph put men into groups and assigned them parts of the city when she got to him. “I wish to volunteer.”

  “You may not.”

  “Ethan is my friend. I want to help.”

  “On orders of your Guardian you are not.” He told her. “You are wounded and in need of treatment.”

  “So are you.”

  “For which I am sorely being ordered to stay as well.” He scowled. “The monster attacked our city. It does us no service if we die of blood loss while searching for the Guardian. I dispatched as many as I can. The gates are sealed. It cannot escape, even by the way it gained admission. We will find it. We will kill it. If Guardian Ethan is alive, we will find him.” He faced her sternly. “You did well today, Novice. The reinforcement by the centaurs turned the tide of the battle. But now, you must rest and heal.”

  Dani hated it, but she could barely lift her arm. The fight in the Fane drained any use out of it. She shook her head miserably. “The centaurs were Ethan’s idea. I didn’t do well today. He did. If we don’t find him, then there’s no point in winning.”

  “Then I suggest you rely on your brethren to do their job.” The battlehardened Elder sighed regretfully. “Novice, the most difficult part of this life is learning when to do something, and when to wait. I will inform you when we find him.”

  Asaph left. He wasn’t the warm and cuddly type, but at least he wasn’t actively looking to have her killed. Bonus points for progress.

  A healer sat her by the pool and used salves to treat her maimed shoulder. It stung horribly. In addition to her shoulder, she had claw marks across her chest. The healer was also concerned about a concussion from her smack to the head.

  But she was alive. The same couldn’t be said for Dink or dozens.

  Grief came back like a familiar song. Tears seeped from her eyes, seeing Dink’s lifeless face in the pool of the Fane. She replayed the scene over and over in her head, trying to imagine what she could have done differently. She could have gone for her sword again, tried to take the thing down from behind, or used that power in her hands. Why hadn’t she?

  Even now her hands burned, but not in the way she had needed. She squeezed them so tight it hurt, shaking with anguish. She felt like she would explode.

  “It is understandable.” said a voice.

  She looked up. Dani could barely see Alecto through the tears. She wiped them away. “What?”

  “You lost a friend.” The gentle Fury knelt before her, her wings folding around them both in a comforting embrace. She took Dani’s hands. The warmth faded the moment she touched her skin. “When someone dies, mourning is understandable. And so is anger.”

  “You know about Dink?”

  “I heard.” Alecto comforted her, running a hand down her face. “Dani, anger is natural. To lose someone, to mourn, will always cause anger. Do not fight it. Embrace it.”

  Dani sniffed, wiping her eyes again.

  “I have seen many die in battle. Some were friends. Some were family. You cannot allow yourself to lose your resolve. You must be strong.”

  “How?”

  “Use it.” The leader of the Hellions told her. “Use that anger. Allow it to fill you. Unleash it on the world and make no excuses for it.” She squeezed her hands. “I am the Erinys of Unceasing Anger. I understand rage. And I understand its power.”

  “The thing that killed him is gone. I won’t get revenge.”

  “You will.” Alecto promised. “And in this battle, there is more blame than just with the beast that attacked this city.” Her eyes wandered to Heman and a few other Elders. “Do not allow them to break you. You are stronger than they.”

  “It’s not just Dink.” Dani shook her head miserably. “Ethan is missing. That thing, whatever it was, took him. I don’t know why.”

  “Ethan? The Guardian you spoke of? I understand he is a friend, but why would his abduction hurt you so…?” she trailed off, seeing Dani’s expression. “Oh. I see.”

  “It’s not like that.”

  “Of course it is. The heart has a will of its own. Numen pretend to not feel as humans, but they do. They pretend not to love, but they do. They pretend that death does not bother them, but it does.” She stroked Dani’s cheek. Alecto was so nice, so motherly in a way she hadn’t expected. Dani was grateful for her presence. The Hellion leader tipped her chin up. “Dani, you are strong. Use your grief. Let it fuel you. Turn it to anger and fight back. This attack is only some of what is to come. Darkness is rising. You must be ready.”

  Dani looked up into her eyes. A fire burned there, probably hotter than the fires of Hell. It was the face of a warrior. Dani needed that kind of strength.

  “I must go.” Alecto told her. “My contingent of Hellions and I must return from whence we came. If an attack occurred here, there is no telling what might happen in Dis or Asphodel. I must depart for my home.” She stood, still holding Dani’s hands and helping her up. “Until we meet again, Novice Dani.”

  “Until then, Lady Alecto.”

  The Fury departed with the centaurs in tow. Nessus said something to Caesar before leaving, and then he too joined the departing group. Her friend flew to her side.

  “How are you doing?” Caesar asked softly, landing next to her.

  “I’ll heal.”

  “That’s not what I meant.”

  Dani shook her head. “I just want them to find him.”

  “They will. I promise.”

  Dani tried hard to believe that.

  ______________________

  They didn’t find him. By morning the patrols returned from every part of Empyrean. The demon fled and somehow took Ethan with it. Every demon was destroyed, but the damage was done. Sixty-three Numen were dead; twenty-five gifted as well. Over a hundred were wounded, and five were missing.

  Dani tried not to listen when other Numen said that missing were usually assumed dead.

  They moved the bodies to another part of the Citadel; Dink among them. So was Lorcan, Bouden’s Guardian and a man named Amadeus, the Gatekeeper who saved Dani and fell from the bridge. Then there was Chase, the Novice that led her into a trap in the Vale. She didn’t give a crap about him.

  Dani went once to see them, collected into rows of white-shrouded bodies to prepare for burial. Numen, gifted, even two Elders; there were so many.

  Bouden was a wreck. He and Dink had become pretty close friends. His best friend and Guardian lost in one night. Nathaniel was with him, comforting him, but even Dani knew he wouldn’t be okay. It would be awhile before anyone was.

  For the most part, everyone was left to recover. A lot of gifted homes were destroyed. The last vestiges of demon blood were cleaned from the Vale Bridge and washed downriver by the Crystalline, as if purging Empyrean of the evil that came here. The Elders would call a convocation once decisions were made about how to proceed.

  Over the next two days, people visited. Roxelana was a wreck after Korë. She and Dani spent time by her fountain next to Dani’s house. They just talked, both worrying and both so horrified by what had happened.

  Kleos came to the Arn as well. Mastema had just left on an errand. “How are you?” He asked, sitting in the open air pavilion. The skies of Empyrean were clear blue. Sylphs once again danced on the air.

  “I’ll be better when they find Ethan.”

  He pursed his lips.

  “
Don’t do that.” She warned. “They’ll find him.”

  “Dani, the chances are very slim.” Kleos cautioned. “Demons do not hold prisoners long and when they do, you do not want them to. The things they do are horrendous.”

  “I don’t want to think about that.” She trailed her fingers across the floor panels just so she had something to look at besides him. “I know he’s alive.”

  “The Council convenes tomorrow. Funeral rites will be done for everyone; gifted included. All of Empyrean will participate.”

  “Good. Dink and Korë deserve that.”

  “It is not just they to be buried. Ethan will be as well.”

  “Ethan hasn’t been found yet! They haven’t sent scouts to Earth to find that thing!”

  “Dani, I told you—.”

  “Don’t tell me jack!” she stood. “Those pendejos just decide he’s dead? Why aren’t they looking for him?”

  “The manpower it would take could cost more lives. The attack has seriously shaken the Council.”

  “So they leave him to rot?”

  “Dani,” he tried to be reasonable, “he is most likely dead. And if he isn’t, he will be soon.”

  “Well that’s crap!” she screamed. Her scream reverberated off the sunny hills around her village. She took a moment to compose herself. “I’m sorry.”

  “You don’t need to be.” he told her. “Ethan was a friend. He saved a lot of lives. And it was our fault this happened. We all kept quiet about the ladder. We are all to blame. I don’t even know how it was able to use it.”

  “Of course we know! Everyone knows!” Dani shouted, and then quickly quieted herself again. “Sorry…again. What I meant was we do know: someone opened it for them. Someone on the inside opened the ladder; someone working for the demons.”

  “But who? Demons are monsters. No one would work for them.”

  “Maybe they got to someone.”

  The Guardian shook his head. “Even if that were possible, demons kill on sight. None of them would try to talk to one of us, or a gifted, much less one of us try to bargain with them.”

  “You don’t know that.”

  “I do.” He said darkly. “I’ve been fighting them for centuries. They’re killing machines born out of fire and darkness and created for one purpose: killing. They don’t plan like that.”

  “They sure as hell did two nights ago. We should tell the Council what we suspect.”

  “No, we shouldn’t.”

  “Why? I’m sure I’m not the only one to think of this.”

  “You’re right. So drop it.”

  The sudden harsh tone took Dani aback. Kleos was always so evenkeeled. Why suddenly so confrontational? “What’s going on?”

  Kleos sighed, shaking his head. “Dani, of course the Council thought someone inside Empyrean allowed them in, even if the idea is ludicrous. Once they discovered the ladder, it was the natural first suspicion. They began to question Numen and gifted about it. If you go to the Council, only one name will come to mind for them.”

  “Who? Me?”

  “No. Mastema.”

  “Mastema? Why?”

  “Think about it: he came back without his charge years ago, leading to his disgrace. He broke the Guardian cardinal rule. He was the only witness to what happened that night. And Mastema is a well-known fighter. He would never have allowed his charge to die, yet he came back without one. So what do you think the Council will surmise when his newest charge comes to them asking about an inside man?” he didn’t wait for her to answer. “They will question whether you, his closest confidant, saw him that night.”

  “But I didn’t.”

  “Exactly. Wherever a charge goes, the Guardian goes. So why wasn’t he with you?”

  She knew, without having to ask, that Mastema was not the person who opened that portal for the demons. No way.

  “You don’t believe he had something to do with this, do you?”

  “Of course not.” Kleos said. “I’ve known Mastema for lifetimes.”

  Dani couldn’t believe it. She stood, stalking off.

  Kleos asked. “Where are you going?”

  “To get answers.”

  “You cannot talk to the Council!”

  “I’m not.”

  “Then where?”

  “The same place I got the idea that someone is working for demons.” He followed. “I’ll go with you.”

  “No. I need to go alone.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I’m not sure he’ll talk to me if you’re there.”

  ______________________

  Dani flew the first half of the journey towards the Dalles, but then landed as her power faded in the magical mist. She trekked on foot up to the falls, then down behind them into the cave.

  “Gabriel!” she called out. “Gabriel! It’s me! Dani! We need to talk!”

  She didn’t know if the Archangel would still be here. Why would he? But he was able to sense evil in the city. Maybe he could give her further clues. Maybe he could tell her if Ethan was alive.

  “Gabriel! Archangel! Angel of Truth! Trumpeter of Judgment! Show yourself!” Still nothing. She stomped her foot. “You arrogant, self-centered child! I need your help! If you actually care about fixing your mess, then show yourself!”

  “You come more a warrior than before.” She heard his voice behind her. “And you wear anger like armor.”

  Gabriel formed inside the falls, muddled by the rushing water. He descended, the water creating wings around him as parted from it and touched down on the stones. The water wings, glistening and shining, gushed around him like feathers, extending outward in a glorious display before dissolving.

  He wore an ancient tunic with no sleeves and belt at the waist. His skin and eyes glowed. He seemed more an angel now; terrifying, more than the man-child who attacked her.

  “You have changed, Daniella.”

  “No I haven’t.”

  “You hold more resolve within you. I can feel it.”

  “Almost dying will do that to you.”

  “What do you wish to speak to me in regards?” He asked. “Your destiny?”

  “Screw that. A demon attacked Empyrean. Did you know?”

  “I felt them, yes.” His eyes narrowed. “But I sense that that is not why you are here.”

  “It killed a lot of people and it took a friend of mine. Ethan. I need help to find him. You were able to sense evil in the city before. Could you find him?”

  “Of that I am not sure.” Gabriel said. “Many angels hear prayer, but with so many, we cannot always find one particular person unless they pray directly to us.”

  “Can you try?”

  He nodded. He closed his eyes briefly, as if waiting a second, and then opened them. “I do not feel his prayer.”

  “That was, like, five seconds.”

  “My kind could once cross the universe in less than a blink of an eye. We are not what we once were, but we are not powerless. I do not feel him.”

  “Then he’s dead?” her heart twisted.

  “No. I have not felt the death of the person you speak. I simply cannot find him.”

  She felt relieved, but at the same time, frustrated. She was no closer to finding Ethan this way. “What about the person in the city who helped the demons get inside? You sensed evil. Can you tell me who that might be?”

  “Again, no. I only can sense ill intentions, not the person who holds them.”

  She was getting less and less impressed by angels. “Then I wasted my time.”

  “Do you know the demon that attacked you?”

  She shook her head. “No. It was some creature with wings, black skin and red eyes. Do you know it?”

  “No, though demons come in many forms and have many offspring. Did it carry weapons or was it more of a beast?”

  “Weapons. It used a flail, a sword and a cup.”

  “A cup?”

  “A goblet or chalice or something. The Elders called it a ‘dark grail.
’ It poisoned a friend of mine and turned him into an angry killing machine. He tried to kill me. ”

  “A goblet? Truly?”

  “Do you know it?”

  “Yes. It is a cup of poison, meant to torture victims with their worst desires and turn them upon themselves and their closest friends.”

  “Do you know a demon that might use it?”

  “It was used in ancient times, but not by demons.”

  That piqued her interest. “Not by demons? Then by who?”

  “Well,” Gabriel thought, “if I remember correctly, it was once carried by the Erinyes.”

  Dani felt a shiver of cold dread creep up her spine. “Erinyes?”

  “Yes.” The Archangel said, nodding. “I believe we called them the Furies, leaders of the City of Dis.”

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  “Alecto is the demon?” Nathaniel couldn’t wrap hi s head around it. “But that thing looked nothing like her.”

  They were in the Arn. Nathaniel and Bouden were there when she returned from the Dalles, only to find her retrieving her weapons.

  “Dani, slow down.” Bouden cautioned. “How do you know Alecto is that thing?”

  “I just do, okay? Trust me on this.” She didn’t tell them about Gabriel. It was too bizarre and they wouldn’t believe her. Oh don’t worry, my source is an ancient archangel. What? You want me to wear a strait jacket? Sure! Crazy white is totally my color! She needed proof.

  Nathaniel shook his head, “But it doesn’t make sense. How can Alecto be our inside man—er, person?”

  “Think about it!” She belted on her sword. “That thing knew how to get into Empyrean. It knew about the ladder to Judah’s club. It also knew how to attack us so it could sneak past our defenses and it knew how to sneak out. Only someone from here could know all of that.”

  “But how did it,” he bit back his contempt, “how did she get Ethan out of the city?”

  “Since no one suspected her, no one thought to look at her. There are a million ways she could have taken him.”

  “But it looked nothing like her.” Nathaniel repeated.

  “Then she can transform! She’s a Fury! There’s no telling what she can do!” She slid her dagger on in its sheath across the small of her back, then retrieved her gauntlets and greaves before heading out into the square to join them.