Completely out of character, Xair began to beg in his growing desperation. "No, please. Anything but that. Please."
"Did I give you permission to speak?"
Xair gritted his teeth against the pain of having his fresh piercing yanked on. His fear reached new levels in his chest as he was led brutally across the grass of the square to his punishment. This was the last place in the universe he wanted to be.
Just as Tapper was pushing Xair to his knees in front of the whipping post, a man with a kind and familiar face stepped forward. Kyle. "Tapper, you can't post him twice in two days. You'll kill him."
Tapper's grip tightened around Xair's neck as he mumbled something angrily under his breath.
"Why don't you take him out into the fields and get a good day's work out of him? We're behind anyway. By the looks of him, it'll be punishment enough."
"Since when do you give me orders, Kyle?"
"Since I am in charge of keeping the slaves breathing. Can't you see this one is already fading quickly from being posted yesterday? Anything more and he'll die before you cut him loose at nightfall."
Tapper pushed Xair to the dirt and delivered a swift kick to his ribs. "Then you take him. I'll be there in a bit." He stormed off towards the path leading to the fields.
"You're stupid." Kyle put his arms around Xair's chest and helped him stand.
Xair rubbed his sore ribs and bowed to Kyle. "Thank you, sir."
"What did you do? Don't you know not to make Tapper angry?" Kyle took Xair's arm and frowned as he touched the bloody gash. "What is this? Did Tapper do this?"
"No. I did."
"Why?"
"To protect the girl. I couldn't do it, so I had to try to make it look like I did."
Kyle took Xair's hand then began leading him out of the town. "Ah. I understand now. You should have done what you were told. Now you'll be working in the fields and Tapper will take your house away. You'll have to sleep in the slave stables."
"She was nine."
"That girl is now going to be tied to the whipping post just like you were."
"No!" Xair nearly shouted. "It's not her fault."
"Doesn't matter to Tapper. He doesn't view you as being human. To him, you are animals, livestock. It's sickening."
"Why work here?"
Kyle shrugged his shoulders. "Because it's the family business. Tapper is my older brother. He inherited everything after our father died, so he continued the slaving business. I have always hated it. But what can I do? If I try to leave, Tapper will throw a fit and get the rest of the family involved. They're all sadistic bastards anyway. I don't want to be on the receiving end of their rage. So to at least try to make this not a living hell, I do what I can to help the slaves adjust and teach them how to get around some of Tapper's orders. It's not much, but it's something."
"You have my thanks."
They continued walking hand in hand until they reached the valley between the rolling hills where the ground was being plowed by Ka'taylins who had slavers following them, whipping them and barking orders. Kyle let Xair's hand go. He motioned to the well next to them. "Here we are. You'll be carrying buckets of water from this well up to the corn field. It's two miles. The buckets hold two gallons of water each and you will be carrying two on a yoke on your shoulders. That's around forty pounds you'll have to carry all that way. It's rough. Most Ka'taylin men, once delegated to this, only live for about two weeks."
"I will do my best."
"Take your shirt off. Believe me, you'll be sweating too much for it."
Xair obeyed and let his tunic fall to the ground.
"You two walk far too slowly." Tapper, with a rifle strapped to his back and a braided whip on his belt, stormed up to Xair then slapped him across the face. "You had better learn to work faster, rune-skin. But that's what whips are for. Now, pick up that yoke with those full buckets already good to go. Get moving!"
Xair lifted the wooden yolk onto his shoulders with shaking arms then he nearly fell over from the weight of the buckets. His muscles ached and his legs felt like they were going to buckle under him. Sweat trickled down his face under the blazing mage-glow as he took the first few steps toward the base of the hill.
Tapper shouted at him. "Faster!"
Xair tripped and dropped to his knees in the dark soil. "Please give me a minute. My people are not built for this kind of work, sir. We are not bred for physical labor."
"Shut up!"
Xair jumped and scrambled to his feet as the braided whip bit into his bare shoulders. He picked up the heavy yolk and managed to set it on his shoulders, but he slipped in the dusty soil, falling again to the ground. This time, the water spilled from the buckets, wasting all the work they had done.
"That's it. I'm not going to baby you and I'm not going to waste resources on a slave who can't work." Tapper took the rifle from his back and readied it. "When a horse breaks one of its legs, we put it out of its misery. When an ox is too sickly to pull a plow, we kill it. What do you think happens when a slave refuses to work?"
Xair stared down the barrel of the rifle that was aimed between his eyes, just inches from him. It was so close that he could smell the black powder. Sweat rolled down his hairline to his neck where his newly-cut short hair was caked with dirt and blood. Every muscle in his body tensed as he braced himself for the impact of the bullet. He never thought he would die this way. He had lived through so much . . . only to die on his knees as an animal.
Kyle cried out as he ran up to them. "Tapper, stop!"
"This is none of your concern. Leave us."
"No. You've done enough. Let Xair go."
"Xair? Xair!" Tapper's face grew dark red as he shouted. "You're on friendly terms now? I'm warning you, Kyle. Do not test me."
Kyle drew his own pistol from his belt and aimed it at Tapper. "If you hurt Xair one more time, I will shoot you. Xair, run. Run now!"
Scrambling to his feet, Xair took off running as fast as he could towards the tree line on the far side of the field. A gunshot rang out over the fields from behind him. He dared not turn around to see who shot it. Then it happened suddenly. Before he heard the next gunshot, the impact slammed into his right side, throwing him forward where he collapsed on the ground. Xair gasped and panted for air as the hot sticky liquid spread down his pants. He looked down to see the deep red blood pouring from his side. With a surge of adrenaline, Xair crawled towards the trees, leaving a long trail of blood behind him. He was coughing up blood as his vision began to blur. He had to continue on. This was his only chance to get away.
More gunfire filled the air as people started shouting and screaming. Flocks of birds flew up from the oak trees, startled by the commotion. Xair had barely reached the twisted underbrush of the forest when his arms gave out and he fell to the ground. He could go no farther. His energy was draining with every drop of blood he lost. He couldn't concentrate on anything. The canopy of the trees swirled and twirled around above him in a disorienting dizziness.
"Xair? Xair! What happened to you?" The female voice asked. "Were you shot? Hold on. I'll get you to Jaylen. They have healers."
Chapter 16
Xair moaned weakly as he rode on the back of the centaur and watched the blurring forest pass by quickly. He was hunched over and would not have been upright if Naomi hadn't tied him to her back. All he wanted was sleep. Even with the makeshift bandages of leaves and strips of his pants, the blood continued to gush from his wound. He shivered even in the late afternoon mage-glow that shone between the branches of the trees above them. He pressed his face against Naomi's soft shirt and closed his eyes.
"Xair, you can't go to sleep. Stay awake. You have to stay awake."
"I'm . . . trying."
"I know." Naomi's voice was calm and reassuring. "You're gonna be okay. You are. We'll get you taken care of."
"How did you-"
"Save your energy. Don't speak. Your slaver friend, Kyle, saved your life, or as much of it as you have l
eft. After he shot Tapper, Tapper shot you. Then Tapper died. Kyle began shooting all the other slavers. He was like a mad man on a rampage. I was nearby and he told me to go get you, so I did. The last thing I saw was Kyle going to one of the houses in the square and opening fire. But he took a few hits himself. I think he's dead." Naomi slid to a rough stop. "What is that?"
Xair looked up to see a glowing pink ball of energy descend from the sky to land on the nearest tree branch in front of them. Once the glowing faded, a small man, no taller than six inches with long brown dreadlocks, tanned golden skin, orange eyes, and pale green robes remained. On his back were translucent clear wings like a dragonfly. Xair spoke in his weak voice. "A demon . . ."
"Save your energy, Xair."
"My name is Shane." The tiny demon held out his hands as a sign of peace. "Please don't hurt me. I'm here to help."
"Help? Why would a demon ever willingly help a Ka'taylin?" Naomi asked. "Did your demon mother drop you on your empty head as a baby?"
The demon frowned. "Ouch. Why do you have to be so mean?"
"Xair, say something. Are you awake?"
"Let me help." Shane flittered over to Xair's back and began casting a green magic into the wound. "This is bad, but my green magic should stop the bleeding to keep him from dying immediately."
"Why should we trust you?" Naomi asked.
"I owe Jaylen a favor."
"Jaylen would never help demons."
"He did once." Shane crossed his arms. "He broke that vow to help me when I desperately needed help. Now it's my turn to repay him."
Naomi began running again through the forest. "How did you find us?"
"I received an order in my dream last night."
"From Jaylen?" Xair asked.
"Uh . . . not exactly. From Finalis."
Naomi sighed, confused. "But Jaylen is Finalis."
"Technically? Yes. In reality? Not completely. It's like two Jaylens fighting against each other. Finalis wants complete control, but Jaylen won't let him have it. Finalis was laughing and telling me that he had so many plans and that he had been making Jaylen do crazy things like hurting himself."
"But I don't understand."
Shane flew up to perch on Xair's shoulder. "Let me see if I can explain this where you will be able to understand. Jaylen's soul has been divided between good and evil for years. According to Stephan, Jaylen was bred to be the way he is. It's all some convoluted plan that has been forming for centuries. The Jaylen everyone knows and loves is only half of the whole. The other half was taken over by Finalis once Jaylen became an apostate. That's not his fault, though. There was nothing he could have done to escape his fate. It's tragic, really."
"How do you know all this?" Naomi asked.
"I . . . um, if I tell you, you have to promise not to hurt me. Promise."
"Fine. I promise. You helped Xair, so you can't be all bad."
"I was Stephan's secret lover while he was in a blood covenant with Gavin." Shane covered his mouth as if he had said something confidential. After a moment of awkward silence, he sighed then continued. "I'm a terrible covenant-destroying demon. But Stephan was so sad after Gavin left him to be with those vampires in the human world. It was so pathetic. I couldn't let him be so sad, so I became his friend. Then one thing led to another . . ."
"Ugh." Naomi made a disgusted sound. "Really?"
"Yeah. Well, I'm not proud of it. At the time, I had no idea how evil Stephan truly was."
"He's a Nephilim." Xair muttered. "Of course he's evil."
"Yeah . . . I should have seen that bit coming. But I'm not evil. I'm here to join Jaylen's side and stop Carvael from using Gavin to take over Heaven."
"Do you know where Gavin is?" Naomi asked. "We've been searching for him."
"I know many things about Gavin except for his current location. But I can assure you that he is alive."
"So, how did that work with Stephan, anyway? You're six inches tall."
Shane petted Naomi's long blue hair. "Size isn't everything, honey."
"Don't call me honey."
Shane sighed and his wings drooped. "Okay. Hey, can we-"
Naomi cut him off. "No."
"But you didn't even let me ask it!"
"Don't care. You stay still and make sure Xair is still breathing. I only want to hear speaking if something is wrong with him. Got that? I don't like demons of any kind."
Shane slammed his little fists against her back. "I'm a faerie."
"I don't care if you're a flying magical pig frog. You stay silent and I might not stomp on your body."
"So mean."
"What was that?" Naomi asked.
"N-nothing."
"Good."
Shane stood up and shouted. "Stop!"
"What?" Naomi stopped once again at the edge of a dry creek bed where tattered remnants of a canvas tent slowly billowed in the wind. "What is it?"
"Look over there. It's sad."
"What is that?" Naomi asked, staring at the glittering outline of a human girl. "Shane, what is that?"
"A lost soul." Shane flew over to the lost soul and landed on a limb next to it. "Why are you not in Purgatory?"
The girl's voice was airy like a whisper from an unknown source. "I'm scared. I can't leave this place. Purgatory is gone. I heard a kind voice telling me to stay here and not to go there."
"A kind voice?" Shane asked. "Male?"
"Yes. He claimed to be Seraph Jeremiah. I don't know what to do. I cannot feel anything anymore and no one hears me when I speak to them. Except for you. Who are you?"
"My name is Shane."
"Are you an angel of some kind?" The lost soul asked. "Another kind seraph?"
"Well, not quite, but I can help you." Shane clapped his hands together then pulled them apart. Spread between his palms was a glowing map. He showed it to the lost soul. "Go here and stay hidden. Whatever you do, do not approach or speak to an angel by the name of Tarael. He is evil."
"He's the one who did this to me." The soul turned around to reveal a black and red hole on her shoulder blade that was smoking as if it had been burning.
Shane squinted at it. "What is that?"
"He ripped part of me out before I could get away from him."
"No . . . no, that's not a part missing from you. That's a part that has been destroyed."
"Destroyed?" The lost soul began to panic. "Can I get it back?"
"Fifteen of your soul segments have been completely destroyed by something searing and hot and extremely powerful. If I didn't know better, I would swear it was from Hell's flames. That matters not at this point in time. Hurry now and take any other lost souls you find with you. Go."
Naomi took off running again with Shane sitting on top of her head and braiding her hair. "So Tarael is wielding Hell's flames and is burning parts of souls? Why?"
"Only complete souls can be given to angels."
"Oh. I see. So he is trying to keep any angels from getting more power?" Naomi asked.
"Yes. Even fallen angels still need souls. Why do you think Zeriel still hangs around with Jaylen?"
"You're not implying-"
Shane shrugged his shoulders. "I don't have to imply it. It's fact. Zeriel is waiting until Jaylen dies so he can harvest whatever scraps he can find there. But it's a complicated process with Jaylen because one of his soul segments is missing in that amulet."
"Zeriel wouldn't do something like that."
"Then you obviously don't know much about angels, honey. You watch. Zeriel will have a hand in that boy's death and it's not going to be pretty. Betrayal never is. All I can hope for is that Zeriel allows Jaylen to vanquish Carvael and save everything first. After that . . . who knows?"
Xair spoke up, despite his weakness and pain. "Zeriel isn't that kind of man."
"But he is that kind of angel."
Naomi shook her head. "I cannot believe that Zeriel would take advantage of Jaylen like that. They're so close."
"Mark my words
, Naomi. Zeriel will betray Jaylen before this war is over and it's not going to be pretty when it happens. That is why I hope to be there for Jaylen when he realizes that angel's true intentions. Sometimes I wonder if someone other than Jaylen is the true Angel of Darkness. Jaylen wields Hell's flames as well, you know?"
"Have you lost your little faerie mind?" Naomi asked.
"So Rift creatures can't see it either. Interesting."
"What are you going on about?"
"Jaylen's sword. When he has his magic and his wings, his blade becomes engulfed in the fires of Hell. Probably has something to do with Finalis and once being eaten by an archdemon and all that."
Naomi seemed astonished. "Eaten by an archdemon?"
"Oh, come on. You didn't know about that? Xair didn't tell you? Yep. For a while, Jaylen's nickname was Demon Snack. It was actually quite hilarious."
"Have you been following him around or something?"
"Before he helped me out . . . yes. I was a spy for Carvael, but not anymore. I am no longer a member of Eternal Eclipse. I can assure you of that."
"That is exactly what a spy would say." Xair mumbled.
"Believe what you will about it. But Jaylen trusts me. You'll see. We're friends."
* * *
As soon as Naomi raced into the camp, Oviel and the other angels surrounded them and began calling for help. Torches were lit and balls of mage-glow ascended into the night sky, illuminating everyone as well as the blood that had streaked down the centaur's side from the injured Ka'taylin.
Nimiel flew over and began untying Xair from Naomi. "Xair!"
Angel of Darkness Books 6-10 Page 39
