Axaniel slid his dagger back into his belt. "Stand up."
Oviel did as he demanded.
"Do you love me?"
Oviel could smell his scent, the sweet and sour of red wine combined with the comforting dusty smell of an approaching rainstorm. "Always."
"Then prove it. I want you to do something for me. If you refuse, I will kill you. Then I will desecrate Gawain's grave. Yes, I know where it is. I will dig up his bones and feed them to wolves."
Without an option, Oviel bowed his head. "Whatever you ask."
"You will go into Brinxael's tent." Axaniel held up a small vial of clear liquid. "Then you will put two drops of this poison into Cael's mouth. That's it. You'll leave and the deed will be done without anyone even suspecting you."
"Why?"
"The ishim must die. Carvael demands it. There's no reason behind it. Think of this as a way to deal a significant blow to Vilyron's morale. With Brinx, Trevor, and Jeremiah completely crushed by the death of their son, command crumbles. Then Eternal Eclipse can finish the few skirmishes that are going on as we speak down in Wolfekin against their werewolf troops, I can pick off the few stragglers around here, then victory is ours. Join me, Oviel. Carvael is your adopted son. Don't you want to have your family back?" Axaniel gently caressed Oviel's jaw then kissed him. He pulled away and gave a small smile. "Don't you want to stop being alone?"
Oviel drew a shaky breath as a million thoughts stirred in his mind. "I'll do it. I'll kill Cael."
Chapter 11
Day 12: Noon
Vilyron Military Camp, Outer Ilyan, Central Vilyron
Various Infantry, Angelic, and Allied Forces
Queen Sela of Wolfekin unbuttoned the final button on her black dress before letting it drop into a pool around her slender pale ankles on the floor of the commander's tent. Dressed only in her red lace lingerie and tall heels, she slowly made her way around the tent, her hips swaying with every step she took, until she reached the table. As she poured a stone cup full of chamomile tea, she studied her lover through the wispy steam that rose up from the hot tea kettle. He hadn't been himself recently. Even now, he didn't seem to notice her.
Sela went over to his chair and began rubbing his tense shoulders as she set the teacup down on the desk in front of him. "Baby, why don't you just come to bed with me? I'll make you feel all better. You know that."
Jeremiah waved his hand dismissively.
Not willing to accept defeat, Sela slipped her hands up under the back of his tunic then began kissing the back of his neck where his short hair tickled her nose. "Please . . ."
"I think you should go."
"But why? Why don't you love me like you said?" She pouted her lips then pushed his papers off of his desk. She sat there in front of him with her legs spread and ran her hands through his hair.
Jeremiah didn't even look at her. Instead, he stood up and grabbed his cloak from the chest in the corner. "If you want to stay here, I'm not going to make you leave. But know that things are about to get bloody out here, so if you have a weak stomach, I suggest not coming out."
"What are you going to do? Things are quiet today."
"Yes, they are. That's what bothers me." Jeremiah stopped then turned around and grinned darkly. "Actually, I think I do want you."
"Really?" Sela slid off of the desk. "Then come here, handsome."
Jeremiah circled around her, his hazel eyes filled with a look of lust and desire. "Go to the bed then close your eyes. I have a surprise for you."
"Such a tease today. I love it."
"Yes, I'm sure you will love this."
Sela held her hands over her eyes and licked her lips as she waited. Her anticipation grew as she heard his footsteps stop next to the bed.
"Do you want this?" Jeremiah asked.
"Of course I do!"
"Good."
Sela screamed as the impact slammed into her stomach, but only a choking cough came out. Dark blood spewed from her mouth as she rolled over to her side. The blankets quickly turned red around her. The tears burned in her eyes, but she was too stunned to realize what was happened. While the blood drained from her body, Sela listened to Jeremiah speaking to someone as she faded into unconsciousness.
"Your will has been done, Finalis. Now even Wolfekin will know the pain of betrayal and civil war."
* * *
Brinxael looked up from her vanity where she had been brushing her long brown hair in the mirror. Strings of pearls, earrings, and thin rings covered the trays on the vanity where two candles were brightly flickering, casting soft shadows around the room as her baby slept soundly in his crib. She smoothed some serum onto her black feathers as she waited for Trevor to come back home for the day. These long hours away from him were torturous, but she was more than proud of him for his tireless work and contributions for Vilyron. Their future depended on this victory. More importantly, Cael's future depended on it.
Brinx went to the small wooden crib to look down at her sleeping son. The green-winged cherub was curled up in his favorite soft blanket with his plushy orange fish in his tiny hand. His chest rose and fell with every shallow breath he took and his lips moved as he dreamed. Even in his sleep, Cael made tiny cooing sounds while his fuzzy wings twitched. She couldn't help but watch him. There was so much potential there, such greatness she could see in him. Brinx thought to all the stories of grandeur and heroics that Trevor would tell him at night as he carried little Cael in his arms around the tent to get him to fall asleep. She desperately wanted nothing more than for this war to be over and for the three of them to run off someplace where Jeremiah wouldn't be able to find them. Her worst fear was to come home after being sent out with her spies on some mission to find Cael gone with Jeremiah somewhere, never to be seen again.
As Brinx continued to watch her young son sleeping, the tent flap opened and a figure stepped inside. "Hey, baby. You're done early today."
"I'm not Trevor."
She spun around to see Oviel nervously tugging on his robe. "Oviel, are you okay?"
"Not really. I brought that . . . potion you wanted to help Cael with his coughing at night."
"Oh, thank you. He's been doing much better lately. I hope it was just a temporary thing, you know?" Brinx took the small vial of clear liquid and held it up in the candlelight. "This looks different than the last one. A new recipe?"
Oviel swallowed hard as he stepped up to the crib to peer inside. "Yeah, sure. Oh, Sola's rays. He's so beautiful."
"I know. He takes after his daddy."
"He sure does. He's almost two years old now, right?"
"Yes, he is. We've been planning for his birthday party. I want everyone to be there. We can bake some cupcakes and play games. He actually said his first word yesterday."
Oviel's heart leapt in his chest. "He did?"
"Yep. He's my big boy. Angel babies develop more slowly than humans, right? Should I be worried that he hasn't spoken before now?"
"No, you're right. He's fine. Cherubs usually don't say anything until age two. What did he say?"
"He said Ovi."
Oviel instantly covered his eyes with his hand as he started to cry.
"He loves you, you know? All that time you spend with him while I'm away means the world to him. You're like his grandfather, you know? I just know that you two will have such a special relationship when he gets older. You'll teach him how to make all your potions and salves, right?"
Oviel turned his back to her. "You should . . . you should give Cael his medicine."
"Oh, of course. Actually, being that you're here, why don't you do it?" Brinx asked. "You know exactly how much to give him."
"Because . . . because if I try, I won't be able to."
"What are you talking about? Why are you so sad today? You can talk to me, you know?"
Oviel rubbed his forehead as his wings drooped. "Oh, Brinx. No, I can't. It's just some personal issues I'm dealing with. I-I'm really stressed."
"Don
't be." Brinx screwed the lid off of the vial then sniffed it. "This smells strange. Are you sure this is his medicine?"
Oviel looked into her eyes as a silent minute passed between them. "Yes. Give him two drops."
"Okay, then." With a steady hand, Brinx lowered the vial into the crib then gently placed two drops of the liquid onto her baby's tongue. "There. Sleep well, Cael. Ovi made this for you to get better. He'll be here to play with you when you wake up. I love you."
* * *
For nearly three days, Xair stayed next to his brother in the cell. Every hour, he gave him water. Every four hours, he had to force-feed him liquid nutrients down his throat. It was emotionally and mentally exhausting to do all he could, but to watch Ulon not getting any better. Doing all of this care-taking was difficult when his hands were broken and still in the early healing process, but he did have some help from Sulstair who was being uncharacteristically helpful. While it was taxing, Xair couldn't see being anywhere other than right there.
That fateful day when Xair and the other Ka'taylins had been captured and enslaved, Ulon had been the only thing he had to hold on to. When he realized that Ulon had been sold to elven slavers in Tivareshen, it broke him. All the whippings and beatings from the slavers that he suffered through at the whipping post weren't what truly broke him that night. It was knowing that his brother was gone forever. Xair lost him once. He swore to Sola that he wasn't going to lose him again, especially not while they were together.
When the sand had trickled through the hourglass, Xair picked up the glass of water and poured a tiny amount through Ulon's parched lips. He smoothed the boy's bangs then kissed him gently on the cheek. "Sulstair, it's not working."
"You're doing fine. At least he's not moaning anymore."
"Can you move Gavin into this cell? I want to talk to him, but I don't want to leave Ulon's side."
The elf shook his head as he leaned against the wall and picked at his claws. "No."
"Why not? You know I won't try to help him get out while I'm tending to Ulon. I just want him in here with me."
"He rejected your leash, didn't he?" Sulstair asked, not entirely mockingly.
"If I wanted to be mean, I could force it on him. He wouldn't be able to say no."
"But you're too nice for that, right? What's happened to you, Xair? What happened to the strong and fearless Ka'taylin man who defeated Sola? You wouldn't stop for anything back then."
It still hurt to open those old wounds. "That was the problem. I wouldn't stop. I didn't know when to stop. I was hurting myself and the people I loved. I lost Dayxi, Amari, and everyone else because I was selfish and overly ambitious. If I had just taken a step back to see what I was doing, I could have changed things. I could have been a great sultan. I could have led my people into a brighter era. But what did I do instead? I nearly killed every one of them. I'm not going to make that mistake again."
"And now you have a child on the way, right?"
"Who knows? Did you know my wife has been a dragon this entire time? She ran off and left me."
"That sucks, man."
An airy voice filled the cell as Ulon's giant purple eyes partially opened. "Xair . . ."
"Ulon!" Xair took his brother in his arms. "Ulon, I'm here. Your brother is here. What do you need?"
The boy's hand grabbed onto Xair's arm. "Stop him."
"Stop who? What's going on?"
"Stop Finalis. Kill Jaylen."
Xair looked over at Sulstair for any kind of answer or input, but the elf only shrugged his shoulders.
Ulon pressed his face into Xair's chest. "Kill Jaylen. Kill Jaylen! We need to go. We need to go to Heaven. It's time."
"Time for what? Ulon, calm down before you hurt yourself. You are still very weak."
"It's time for the cage. We must open it then put Carvael and Jaylen inside."
Xair took his brother's chin in his hand. "I don't know how you know all of this information or why you're rambling it off like this, but we're not going anywhere right now. And we're certainly not putting Jaylen in the cage."
"Oviel is killing the ishim. The angel scion is still missing. Nimiel's dream world didn't work. Liam is dead. Your son is alive, but his egg is cracking. Divinus is going to Ilyan to join forces with his brother."
"Wait just a minute. Slow down. Divinus has a brother?" Xair asked.
"Finalis."
"Jaylen is Finalis. That doesn't make any sense."
"Jaylen is not this Finalis. This Finalis is a dead seraph, just like Divinus. Finalis wants Jaylen to kill everyone. They are going to Heaven soon to let Sola out of her cage, but they will slaughter everyone."
Sulstair joined them on the floor of the cell then took Ulon's shoulders and shook him. "Where is this information coming from? Who is speaking to you?"
"Can you not hear it, Xair?" Ulon asked, his eyes glassy as he started fading away again. "Sola is talking to me right now. She loves me. She shows me things in dreams. I've seen it all. A giant rift will form in Heaven. All the demons that have been released from The Rift will go there and storm Heaven. Everything burns. Everything dies."
"Ask Sola what we're supposed to do. We need guidance."
"She says to kill Jaylen."
"Yes, I get that. Other than that, what do we do?" Xair asked.
"Release the dragons. Raise the golems from the clay. Kill the people with the marks, but not Jeremiah. Burn the ishim's body. Kill Amari. Kill James Vallen. Kill Brinxael. Kill Oviel. Kill Naomi."
"We're not doing that. We're not killing anyone. Do you hear me? I don't care what kind of voices you're hearing. Those can't be from Sola. None of this makes any sense. Sulstair?"
The elf rolled his eyes. "I've got nothing. This is bizarre."
Xair jumped as Ulon collapsed and his body went limp in his arms. "Ulon?"
"Looks like the kid is out of it again. If you want to leave, we can get this little party started. I've made up my mind. I'm going to help you. Give me Ulon and take these keys. Let Gavin out then we'll go get Karix's brother, Talixmentilis, and release the rest of the dragons. I know where they're being kept. We might have to slaughter some of Carvael's angels along the way, but I'm itching for a fight anyway. What do you say?"
Xair laid Ulon back down on the cot then stood and extended his bandaged hand to Sulstair. "Let's end this war. Let's do whatever it takes to make sure the correct future is the one that Ulon will face. What do you say?"
Sulstair grinned as he took Xair's hand gently in his. "Deal."
Chapter 12
Day 12: Evening
Timbarel Oasis, Cavinil Desert Outskirts, Lower Northern Continent
Infantry Squad Seven
He came out here because he wanted to get away, not because Jeremiah told him to.
Jaycob rode on his white horse behind the rest of infantry squad seven. Most of them didn't have their own horses, but Jaycob volunteered to carry some of the goods in his saddlebags for the trip. It was a small price to pay for not having to walk everywhere like the other soldiers. To be honest, he needed to get away from everything and try to clear his head. He had enough of Jeremiah's antics, the stress of the camp, and everyone's lack of trust. His normally hearty constitution was wearing dangerously thin. One more crisis would have sent him over the edge. But even here with the other twenty-five men, Jaycob was the loneliest he had been in forty-one years.
As he rode across the rolling sand, Jaycob hid from the blazing mage-glow under his white keffiyeh that covered his head and still managed to hide the gold slave ring in his ear. Not that the latter one mattered. He was more concerned about the levels of poison in his system after the hell Jeremiah put him through the previous night. The sadistic seraph bastard thought it would be funny to have his angels hold Jaycob down then force him to swallow handfuls of live stinging ants. He had painful stings surrounding his mouth and in his nose. His tongue was swollen as well as his lips. Even his throat was extremely painful after swelling to the point where t
hey had to find some emergency medicine to keep him from suffocating. Only then did Jeremiah give up on his quest to torture Jaycob.
Jaycob still dealt with a woozy mind and an upset stomach that caused him to become more and more dehydrated out here in the desert. All he could do was keep riding for as long as the other soldiers were still marching. He knew that they would eventually have to stop for the night and set up camp, which couldn't come fast enough. The grueling pace made Jaycob fully aware of one glaring fact. He was not a soldier.
Just when he started to drift in and out of a fitful sleep, Jaycob darted awake where he had slumped over in the saddle. They were stopping. It was a beautiful sight before him. The soldiers were all tossing down their packs and stripping their armor off to bathe in the oasis. The surface of the turquoise water glittered under the blazing yellow mage-glow, a welcoming sight to Jaycob's parched tongue. He quickly dismounted and led his horse through the sparse thorn bushes to the banks of the small pond. Without wasting a second, he dropped to his knees and began drinking the crystal clear water. When that wasn't enough, he pulled his clothes off and crawled into the water. As it spread around his body and cooled him, all the sickness he had been feeling from the ant stings gradually vanished. It left him tired, but content.
None of the soldiers spoke much to him, but they all revered him with a deep and obvious respect. Even in their play fighting and wrestling in the water, they made sure to avoid splashing Jaycob. They gave him space, all having seen the horrors Jeremiah had put him through. They all knew moderate details about his past as well. Without his clothes or any head covering, Jaycob noticed some of the men looking at the golden slave identification ring in his ear. Their eyes reflected feelings of pity, admiration, and gratefulness that they hadn't suffered like he had. Then their gazes moved down his torso to where the giant scar from Astrinalix's claw had nearly torn him in half. A few of the men whispered about it, but most of them knew. By the way they spoke of him, Jaycob had the awkward feeling of knowing that while he wasn't technically a soldier, perhaps he was stronger than most of them.
Angel of Darkness Books 6-10 Page 62
