"You're a seraph?" The cultist leader laughed mockingly. "That's hilarious. If you are a mighty seraph, then why can't you break free?"
"You know damn well why I can't, you demonic bastard. You bit me and infected me with your dirty Nephilim blood."
Hearing the angel begging for his life made her mind drift to the possibility that maybe her life was in danger as well. Would this process kill her? And what was a seraph? She had never heard of them before. Was it simply some other kind of angel? She didn't much care for angels, so she hadn't cared much to learn about them. But she did know what a Nephilim was. It was one of the first angels who had rebelled against Sola and harmed her before being cast down to Hell and transformed into very powerful demons. Then she remembered that voice. There was only one Nephilim she had ever met.
Stephan continued his speech. "This succubus is from very special breeding that I was able to monitor to ensure things happened the correct way. In fact, my blood covenant partner is her father."
Liaxa gasped, even though she had already made the connection. Stephan. It was Stephan. But why was Stephan doing this to her? She thought he loved Gavin. They were partners and Gavin always talked about romantic things with him. Stephan was always so nice to her and brought her gifts from all over Aldexa. He even played with her and taught her how to use a dagger.
"And that is not all, my brothers. No. Behold! A virgin succubus. This kind of powerful soul is one that should only be used to create an even more powerful one. What is more holy and pure than the soul of an angel? Now with the confession from this angel, we know he is so much more than what we originally thought. One of Sola's precious seraphs. Combined into one soul, it will be unstoppable. Now, decapitate the seraph."
Liaxa pulled against the straps around her arms and legs as she watched the cultists place the blade of a long curved dagger against the blue-winged angel's neck. "No! Stop it!"
* * *
Day 9: Mid-Morning
Sola Temple Ruins, Urani Mountains, Northern Vilyron
Dragon Knight Division One: Karixlesminatim and Liam Ulverin
"Liaxa? Liaxa, wake up."
Liaxa blinked to see the memories fading from her vision where they were replaced by a young boy with large unnaturally green eyes gently tugging on her hand. Why had she been thinking of that day? She rubbed her forehead as an intense headache spread behind her eyes.
"Are you okay?" Liam whispered, staying down behind the wooden bench in the decrepit temple as the dragon's roars grew closer. "You look sick."
"I'm fine . . . just . . . I don't know what happened. Maybe I haven't gotten enough sleep lately." Liaxa peeked over the top of the bench to see Karix with his staff held in the outside part of the temple sanctuary. Then an intense sharp pain flooded through her head as the dragon roared again. But this time, she recognized that voice. The memories continually flashed into her mind, over and over, blurring the boundaries between the past and the present. She could hear him. She knew him. Her heart leapt in her chest as her breathing quickened and her skin turned pale. "It's not a dragon."
"What? Yes it is. Karix knew what it was sayin'. He speaks Draconic."
"No. It's not a dragon. It's not a dragon." Liaxa stood up and shouted at Karix. "It's not a dragon!"
The large dark blue creature with outstretched wings and scales that covered its body landed in front of Karix with a ground-quaking roar. Its glowing orange eyes pierced through the dim light in the temple as more tiles broke free from the ceiling and plummeted down around them. Karix was thrown backwards from the force of the impact where he crashed into one of the wooden benches, cracking it in half. The Ka'taylin stayed there, motionless.
"No! Karix!" Liam jumped over the bench and ran to his dragon, completely unafraid of the hulking creature that roared again, shaking the temple. The boy fell to his knees and placed his face to Karix's chest. "There's blood, lots of blood. He's not breathin'! Liaxa, he's not breathin'."
Liaxa knew what she had to do. She stood up from her hiding place and fixed her armor. Slowly, she walked towards the creature with her hands in the air. "I won't fight you. You came here for me, not them. You couldn't care less about them. Don't hurt anyone else because of the things I've done or the things Gavin has done. Please stop this. I will surrender and come with you. Don't hurt them, Stephan."
The Nephilim opened its mouth to let a ball of fire fly out, grazing Liaxa's right thigh before it hit the back wall of the temple. Fire and sparks flew across the sanctuary. The tattered carpet that ran between the rows of benches began to smolder when a stray ember hit it, sending out a haze of black smoke. Another ball of fire shot up to the ceiling where it caught in the rafters below the golden dome.
Liam squealed as the fire and splintered shards of the wooden planks showered down on top of him. The fire was so hot that the slightest contact with the stray embers ignited the ancient wooden benches and an inferno engulfed the area. The boy frantically shook Karix's shoulders as the flames leapt closer. "Karix! Karix, get up. Wake up. We need your water breath. Karix!"
Liaxa reached out to steady herself on the side of one of the benches as the pain overwhelmed her. Purple blood oozed out of the burn that covered her right leg to the knee. It had seared through her leather armor and melted the metal rivets. Gritting her teeth, Liaxa powered through the burning agony and drew her father's twin long daggers from her back. She was not about to go down without a fight, especially not to Stephan.
"Liaxa, don't. He'll kill you." Liam shouted at her as he was desperately yet futility trying to drag Karix's unconscious body away from the flames.
Liaxa ignored him. This was a personal score to settle. She bravely stepped up to the Nephilim and held up her daggers, their blades shimmering in the orange and yellow from the fires. "I'm not afraid of you!"
Stephan's voice boomed inside the temple, causing the inferno to burn brighter. "You should be. Don't you remember what I did to you nine years ago in this very temple? I knew you would be here and I knew the true reason you came here. You won't be able to find your soul, no matter how much you search this temple for it. You know why?"
"I don't care! You'll only lie to me as well!"
"Oh, you should care, my little Liaxa. Haven't you ever wondered what that wave-shaped mark is on the inside of your left leg?" Stephan asked. "It's a Ka'taylin rune."
"No. No, you're not saying what I think you're saying."
"Indeed I am. You are leashed to a Ka'taylin. Technically, you were leashed to a Ka'taylin until recently. After he died, your soul was let free, but now we cannot find it. I need your body to be able to use it as a beacon to hunt down your soul."
Liaxa's hands tightened around the hilts of her daggers. "Xair."
"Exactly. Now you either surrender and come with me, or I kill your father."
"You have Gavin?" Liaxa asked.
"Of course I have Gavin. I've always had Gavin. Why do you think I ever agreed to enter into that blood covenant with him? So I could always have him right by my side. He's our bait. We tried to supercharge his soul, but he proved to be too weak for that. Now he's useless. But I guess not completely useless if he is still a bargaining chip. How much do you value your father's life?"
"I tried to surrender already, but you filled this place with fire."
"Because I had to make sure that neither one of them would interfere." Stephan motioned with his large claw to Liam and Karix who were trapped behind a wall of flames. "Come with me and join Eternal Eclipse, where you belong. Your soul was the only one that was capable of holding your soul and a seraph's. You are special, Liaxa. These people you call your friends, this makeshift Vilyron military, these people do not care about you. You've been forced into the background, unable to help out in any way because they fear you. They are afraid that you are too powerful. They've mistrusted you, insulted you, and locked you away in a cell. Why do you continue to side with them? Jaylen is not your friend. I know you had a crush on him at one time, but-"
"I love Jaylen. I always have and I always will. I understand why they did not trust me, but I will have a bigger role to play in the years to come. I know it. Jaylen will need me. Even if he can never feel the same way about me, I will never give up. However, to end this bloodshed, I will come with you."
"Good. Come on out, Payniel."
Liaxa's breath left her as she grabbed at her neck. Her chest tightened, her knees buckled, and she dropped to the hot stone floor as the flames surged behind her. Screaming, she held out her arms as the force within her chest grew to the point where it felt as if her ribs were going to shatter. Just when she started to black out, her eyes widened and flashed to light blue. Her back arched and something split open. Large dark blue wings ripped through her muscles below her shoulder blades and stretched out in the light of the inferno.
When Liaxa opened her mouth to speak, a man's voice took its place. "What have you summoned me for, Master Stephan?"
"So you are well, Payniel. That is good to know. I need you to teach my angels to possess new vessels, new bodies so they can be immortal. With the Ka'taylin spell being translated by the captive Xair Korvin as we speak, it will only be a matter of hours before we are ready to move on with the next step in our plan of amassing a force that even Vilyron and Wolfekin combined will not be able to defeat."
"I will come with you and do whatever you ask of me, Master Stephan. There is only one thing I ask in return."
"Your wish is granted, Payniel."
Payniel motioned to Liaxa's body. "I desire a new form, one not so feminine. I grow tired of this one's complaining. Also, I do not like demons."
"Very well. I will have the Dyvaes deliver a new one for you. I have just the little boy in mind. How does a fifteen-year-old thief with bright green eyes sound?"
"Sounds perfect, Master. I will report to Carvael at once."
Without any control over her body, Liaxa had no choice but to fly as her angel captor demanded. Even though she was crying out, clawing her way to get back into her own mind, she knew it was pointless. Whatever plans Stephan had involving her or Payniel would be carried out against her will. She could only hope that it would backfire.
Chapter 6
Day 9: Evening
Vilyron Military Camp, Outer Ilyan, Central Vilyron
Various Infantry, Angelic, and Allied Forces
"Don't talk."
Jaylen did nothing but stay there on the bed of blankets on the floor of his tent while he stared into Zeriel's white eyes that now seemed to glow with a new-found power. He felt nothing inside himself aside from the constant gnawing from Finalis, but he did his best to fight back and keep the voice silent. As Zeriel worked on tending to his wounds, Jaylen concentrated on breathing and staying in control of his mind. It was becoming more and more difficult with every day that passed. Secretly, he wished that Jeremiah had gotten his wish and killed him. At least then Finalis would leave him alone. Just as Jaylen had found a few seconds of peace, Finalis's obnoxious voice penetrated his thoughts again.
"Hey, Jaybird. I was just thinking about how we should go behind Jeremiah's back and free those dragons that Carvael has all tied up in his compound. That would be fun, right? Imagine riding a dragon. But you already have wings, so it's kind of redundant, isn't it?"
"Shut up!"
Zeriel looked up from spreading the healing salve across the welts on Jaylen's stomach. "Jay? I didn't say anything."
Jaylen sighed and covered his eyes with his arm. "Not you."
"Finalis?"
"Yes."
"What is he saying now?" Zeriel asked.
"He wants me to-"
Finalis jumped in. "No! Don't tell him our secret plans! We don't need him. We don't need anyone but ourselves, Jaylen. We are perfect the way we are. He will only get in the way. Plus he's the angel scion now. He can do battle all on his own and be fine. We can go our own way and be awesome together."
"Grrr! Leave me alone! Just shut up and get out of my head! I can't do this. Zeriel, kill me. Just kill me and get this over with. I can't keep doing this. I'm losing my mind."
Zeriel leaned over to smooth Jaylen's blond bangs. "Shh. It's okay. You have to ignore him."
"I can't ignore him. He's all I hear when he talks."
"I don't know what I can do for you. Maybe-"
The tent flap opened as the blond-haired man with the broad shoulders and the scruffy beard entered the room. His vampire fangs flashed in the mage-glow as he approached the pile of blankets then knelt down beside Jaylen. "You look to be in rough shape, son."
Jaylen gritted his teeth as he looked up at his father. He was the one person he hated more than Finalis. He instinctively covered his nakedness with one of the quilts. "Go away. I didn't invite you in here."
"You are my son, so I will come in here to help you when you need me. Zeriel, can you try to talk some sense into him?"
"I've been trying for years." Zeriel closed the jar of salve then set it on the nearby table. "Though, you don't have much room to complain about Jaylen being this way. You helped to weaken his mind through years of abuse."
"I know, all right? You don't have to continually bring that up. It's not like I've forgotten about my mistakes or anything. Anyway, I did not come here to argue or to dredge up the past. I have something for you, Jaybird."
He didn't want anything from his father. Why couldn't people just leave him alone?
Doran pulled out an emerald sun sigil pendant on a golden chain. "I thought you would want to have your wife's soul back."
Jaylen sat up and grabbed it. He held it to his lips and closed his eyes. "Kato . . ."
Kato's sweet voice came into his mind instead of Finalis. "Hi, Jaylen. Please don't throw me away again."
"Never. I love you, Kato."
"I love you too, darling. When are you joining me? Purgatory will be reopened eventually, so you need to be ready for when your soul is released. You are dying. You can feel it, can't you? Do not be afraid. Whenever you win this war, I will be waiting for you so we can leave this world together. You've lived your life, Jay. Now there is only one more thing for you to do. Win. Defeat Eternal Eclipse then free Sola. You can do this. I know you can."
Zeriel reached out to wipe away the tears from Jaylen's bright blue eyes. "Is she speaking to you, Jaybird?"
Jaylen clutched the pendant tightly as Kato's voice vanished again. "Yes."
"What did she say?" Doran asked.
"It doesn't matter. None of this matters anymore. Just get me patched up so I can go crawling on my knees to Jeremiah for him to give me orders. This war needs a hero. I will be that hero."
"Heroes hardly ever have happy endings."
"I never claimed to be looking for happiness, Zeriel. I'll take whatever ending I can get."
Doran jumped up and let out a low hissing sound as the ground began to shake below their feet. The soldiers who were still at the camp began shouting and the horses neighed. He sniffed the air then drew a dagger from the jeweled scabbard on his belt. "Stay here."
Jaylen wasn't about to let his father tell him what to do anymore, so despite his pain and soreness, he slid out of bed then grabbed his leather pants from the chest near the foot of the bed. Once he was at least partially dressed, he peeked out through the tent flap to see the source of the chaos. The sky was darker than any night he had seen. Flashes of energy streaked across the clear sky like lightning, but there were no clouds. "What is that?"
Zeriel wiped Jaylen's blood from his hands onto a towel. "Tarael."
Jeremiah rushed into the tent as the screaming and orders of battle continued behind him in the fields. "Jaylen, you want to prove you're on our side? Then get out there and fight Tarael."
"He can't go one on one with Tarael!" Zeriel stretched out his wings to separate their commander from Jaylen. "Are you insane? Tarael is a sadistic basket case."
"Jaylen will go fight Tarael. If you want me to ever accept Jaylen as being anything other than a trai
tor, you will fight alongside him against Tarael. We have to stop this."
Zeriel glanced over at Jaylen then summoned his Heavenly shotgun out of the air. "Let's go do this, then."
* * *
Day 9: Mid-Morning
Sola Temple Ruins, Urani Mountains, Northern Vilyron
Dragon Knight Division One: Karixlesminatim and Liam Ulverin
Liam covered his face with his sleeve to block out the thick black smoke that filled the abandoned temple as the inferno raged brighter and hotter with every second that passed. Embers dropped down from the ceiling, landing on his shoulders and hair where they smoldered until they singed his skin. Despite the pain, the boy continued to shake Karix's thin shoulders. "Karix! Karix, get up. Wake up!"
Finally, the Ka'taylin opened his purple eyes then jumped up in panic. "What's this? What's going on?"
"Stephan set the temple on fire."
"Get behind me." Karix pushed Liam behind his back then found his bladed quarterstaff. With one swipe, a wave of rushing water spread out from the tip to extinguish the nearby flames. He continued working, casting his water breath to stop the blaze.
Liam clung to his waist as he felt the heat dying down around him. Over the crackling of the flames, Stephan's deep roar echoed in the vaulted walls. "Karix, we have to go. He'll kill us."
"I won't let him harm you." Then Karix stopped as a high-pitched screech pierced through the silence. "What's that sound?"
Liam pointed up towards the lace-winged butterflies. "What are those?"
"Dyvaes. Liam, get back. Those possess children. Run! Get back into the temple!"
"No! We have to kill Stephan."
"He's a Nephilim, Liam."
The boy stomped his foot then glared at the Ka'taylin. "You're an Elder Dragon. I'm your rider. I give the orders. Now, turn into your dragon form and let's get out there. I'm takin' control now."
Karix's mouth fell open then spread into a smile. "As you wish, my rider. But are you sure that's what you want?"
Liam hid behind one of the wooden benches as the black butterflies with the lace wings drew closer. He knew how evil Dyvaes could be, but he couldn't let Stephan and that scary blue-winged angel get away.
Angel of Darkness Books 6-10 Page 57
