From all different directions, colored smoke rose up from the smoke signals, all blue, green, or orange. No red for defeat, which was comforting at least.
A sweaty and disheveled Trevor leapt down from a nearby store roof and spun in a circle, knocking back four demons with his giant silver war hammer. "We're winning this, by the way."
"Good. I noticed there aren't as many demons as I had feared."
Arrows from the scouts' longbows rained down death over the area behind the buildings, eliciting blood-curdling screeches from the demons who got caught by them. Black angel feathers littered the streets, knocked loose from all the fighting going on high up above the city. Glowing arrows from the silver bows streaked across the darkened sky as gunfire sounded nearby in the billowing smoke from the numerous fires.
Sulstair raced past, not saying a word. His massive army of peeling, decaying, and unfeeling undead creatures sauntered along behind him. Some of the zombies chewed on discarded angel feathers or pieces of mana they had found in their plundering. A few had even managed to pick up rifles and swords or other things they could use as weapons.
"Anyone injured?" Oviel landed next to Jaycob and held out a bag filled with healing potions of various colors for different ailments. "I have plenty. Are you hurt?"
"No. Take them over to the infantrymen. I know there were some casualties when the fighting moved through this area."
"Right away."
Trevor knelt down beside Jaycob to catch his breath and momentarily watch the fighting going on down the street. "Nice golems."
"Thanks. Nice war hammer."
Trevor laughed and pushed his sweaty brown bangs out of his eyes. "See the green smoke outside the city over there? Brinx is already claiming a victory and pulling her spies out of the vineyard communities near here. They wiped out all of Carvael's agents that had safe houses in that area. Apparently they weren't expecting us to find them. So, do you think Jaylen got the seraphs to the cage in one piece?"
"Time will tell. We can only hope."
All of a sudden, the ground shook violently under their feet as a blinding white light pulsed to life on the other side of the city. The demons screeched and began spitting out purple blood as they broke off their fighting. In droves of slobbering masses, they ran down the road to the front gates and threw themselves back into the rift. Dusty and Shane collapsed and laid there in the middle of the carnage. Carvael's remaining angels cried out as their colorful wings were ripped from their backs, showering the city with their blood and torn feathers. They fell to their deaths on the stores, the fountains, and the cafe tables.
Trevor stood up and pointed his war hammer at the swirling vortex of white light. "What is that?"
"That . . . that would be Sola. Come on. Let's get over there!"
* * *
Jaylen crawled out of the rubble under the collapsed temple ceiling. His mind was fuzzy and there was an intense ringing in his ears that he couldn't get rid of, no matter how much he tried. The smell of blood and smoke filled his nose as the feeling came back into his back and legs. He coughed when the dust filled his lungs, but he pulled himself out into the sunlight. Then it hit him. Sunlight? Jaylen sat up onto his knees and looked out over the vineyards and the rolling hills then down through the open rift where the golden light was shining brightly. The warmth danced across his skin and illuminated the world around him. It was the sun. It was finally back.
Kicking away chunks of marble, Xair emerged from the pile with Ulon safe and secure in his arms. He brushed the soot from his silk robe with his purple wings then looked up at the sky and smiled. "Sunlight."
Zeriel and Jeremiah helped each other climb out from under the slabs of temple walls and the bodies of demons that had covered the area near the cage. Both were bleeding from scratches, abrasions, and gashes across their faces and arms, but they were relatively unharmed. They started laughing in their relief and embraced each other.
Zeriel then stumbled over to Jaylen. "I love you!" He lifted Jaylen up in his arms and kissed his lips, grabbing his messy blond hair in his fingers and holding them there.
Jaylen closed his eyes and kissed him back, their hot breath mingling together as they both trembled from the adrenaline leaving their bodies and the pure thrill of their victory. He held onto the back of Zeriel's neck as he was cradled in the angel's arms and lost himself in the sweetness of his lips, the scent of his skin, and the soft white feathers that caressed his weary muscles and bruised flesh. There was no place in the entire universe that he would rather be than in those arms, feeling their breathing synchronize. All the horrors of the past three and a half years were replaced by the delicate peace that washed over him as he opened his mouth and continued the kiss. It was just as surprising to him as it was to Zeriel, who tried to instinctively pull away. But Jaylen rose to meet his lips again.
"Would you look at that?" Oviel walked up the pile of rubble, his boots crunching over the chunks of glass and scorched wooden planks. "Xair, would you have guessed this was going on?"
Xair wiped the dirt from his face and raised an eyebrow curiously. "Hmm."
"That's all you're going to say?"
"What do you want me to say? Look at them. They're covered in blood and dirt. There's not a single thing romantic about it."
"You're just jealous."
Xair scoffed. "Me? Jealous? Of that? Nah. I have no intention of ever kissing an angel."
"But you would kiss a centaur? Don't go getting all embarrassed now. I know about you and Naomi."
Jeremiah slipped the ruby sun sigil pendant from around his neck and looked at it as he spoke. "Everyone, I can now reopen Purgatory. The souls are filling it up as we speak. Jaylen, you did it. We all did it."
Jaylen reluctantly broke off his kiss then slid out of Zeriel's arms. He instantly turned a dozen shades of pink and fell to his knees. "Holy Sola, Mother of Angels!"
The light swirled brighter until it began to take form. The woman's figure that was shrouded in light descended from the top of the destroyed temple. Everyone gasped as they knelt down in respect and reverence. Except for Jeremiah.
Jeremiah let his seraph wings protrude from his back and his purple halo danced above his head. The diamonds in his ears glimmered in the light as he stepped closer to the female form. "Sola, my goddess, my beauty, my love."
Jaylen's eyes flashed back open as he watched them. Love? Did he just say love?
Jeremiah took Sola's ethereal hand and leaned close to kiss her.
He kissed her. Jeremiah kissed Sola. Jaylen wasn't the only one there who was stunned by what was playing out in front of them. Zeriel's mouth fell open. Oviel crossed his arms and grinned like he knew it all along. When Trevor and Jaycob ran over the top of the rubble pile, they both stopped in their tracks and stared ahead in confusion.
Jeremiah slipped the ruby pendant over Sola's head. "Welcome back, my love."
The light around Sola quickly dimmed, leaving behind a woman with large wings of white lace, white blooming roses, and woven grapevines. Her body was draped in flowing pale yellow silk that clung to the curves of her lightly glowing skin. Deep blue eyes that switched to brown, green, and purple scanned over the faces surrounded her.
Sola held out her arms as she spoke to them. "Well done, my beloved believers. You have saved me and all of Heaven. Your deeds here today will forever be remembered in the annals of Heaven. Each of you has fought bravely in the name of goodness and light, but there is one among you who I must speak to directly."
Jaylen averted his eyes as Sola stepped up to him and placed her soft warm hand against the side of his neck. He stood as she beckoned him towards her. Shaking more than he ever had in his life, he dared to look into her eyes. An intense peace flowed through him, slowing his racing heart. "S-Sola, my g-g-goddess . . ."
"There is no reason to be afraid, my faithful paladin. Even in your darkest night, you fought well. I know this has been difficult for you. I know the pain, the suffering, and the e
vil that has dwelt within your soul for so long. That can never be erased. Once as soul is corrupted as far as yours has been, not even I am able to undo it. Alas, there is one thing I can do for you, Jaylen Corrifus." Sola pulled apart the laces on Jaylen's tunic then placed the palm of her hand against the black X on his chest. "Will you return to me in worship and faith? Will you abandon your apostasy and instead obey the true scriptures that will be reinstated immediately? Will you accept this offer of mercy and amnesty for your crimes?"
Jaylen bowed his head. "With a grateful soul, my goddess. I live to serve you."
"Then welcome back into my service, Paladin Corrifus. The darkness will no longer eat away at your body and your mind. I know you have been dying, but today I release you from that sentence. Live, Jaylen."
He gasped as the purifying light entered his skin and filled his mind with gratitude and purpose. Once Sola removed her hand, Jaylen looked down at his chest to see that the black X had been replaced by a white sun sigil. "My goddess . . . thank you. Thank you!"
Chapter 18
Still dressed in their armor, covered in blood, and streaked with dirt, all the members of the allied forces gathered inside one of the theaters in Heaven to celebrate their victory. Sola sat at the front of the burgundy and golden room with Jeremiah at her side as they chatted and discussed plans for rebuilding Heaven. All of the angels had their colorful wings back, symbols of their return to grace and holiness. Some of the soldiers carried around trays of mana, hors d'oeuvres, and glasses of sparkling wine, serving their comrades and all the remaining angels. Tables had been brought in and were piled high with confections. One of the tables near the stage was covered in tray after tray of warm sticky cinnamon buns, specifically for Jaylen.
But Jaylen was still too overwhelmed by everything he just went through to eat. He stood in the back corner, partially hidden from view by the tall embroidered curtains that hung on the walls and sipped his white wine as Zeriel rubbed his shoulders. He watched everyone laughing and cheering in their merriment, playing games with each other, and singing. Even Sulstair had been granted a pardon from Sola for his role in defeating the demons. Ulon was sitting up and talking as he nibbled on small round cheese sandwiches. It was perfect. Everything was back to the way it should have been.
Zeriel began unlacing Jaylen's tunic. "You're so tense."
"Yeah. Yeah, I am." Jaylen closed his eyes as the angel's hands moved down his back to his waist. "Not here. Not now."
"Are you mad at me?"
"Hmm? Why would I be mad at you?"
Zeriel released his grip from Jaylen's belt. "For what happened earlier."
"I guess I'm still in shock. More about me enjoying it than you actually kissing me. I just . . . I don't know how far this is going to go."
"How far do you want it to go?"
Jaylen sipped his wine. "I'm not sure. Let's just take things slow. I'm not dying anymore, so we have all the time in Heaven. So . . . where do we go from here?"
"I want you to live with me here, in Heaven. I want to dote on you day and night. I'll pamper you, care for you, and give you everything you could want. I want to be the man, no, the angel you need. I will protect you, defend you, and love you for all time. If things between us continue down the current path and you wish to make things official, I can arrange that as well. Who knows? Maybe we can be fathers for a little cherub. Wouldn't that be fun? Remember, I'm the Prince of Heaven. I can give you anything you want."
"What if I already have everything I want?" Jaylen turned to him and smiled. "I have you."
Zeriel gently kissed his cheek.
"You know I'm not attracted to men."
"Neither am I."
"Here, I want you to find a place for this. It's empty now, but it meant a lot to me while I did have it." Jaylen took Kato's emerald pendant from his neck and handed it to Zeriel. "I want this to be somewhere in our mansion where I can see it every day and remember her. I want to remember the love we had."
"That sounds wonderful, Jay." Zeriel waved at Jaycob who was calling for him. "Do you mind if I go mingle with everyone? So many people want to know my future plans. See them all looking over here and smiling? That's because I told them that you and I are courting."
Jaylen choked on his wine and started to chastise him, but he instead let his blushing subside and took another drink of wine. "Go ahead. I'll just stay here and try to come to terms with everything."
"I'll be back."
Crazy angel. They were all crazy. But if crazy meant happy, then Jaylen could deal with being a little insane. He leaned back against the wall and observed the festivities. The music was lively and flittering, the drinks flowed freely, and a few of the couples climbed up onto the stage where they locked arms and began dancing. For the very first time in his life, Jaylen felt complete.
"Hey, Jaybird. You miss me?"
Jaylen froze. His glass of wine fell to the polished marble floor where it shattered. All the blood drained from his face as his hand went cold. The room around him began spinning and he had to reach out to steady himself on the wall to keep from fainting. No. Not now. Not after everything was better. They had won. Everything was supposed to be fine now. Why was Finalis back?
"You did such a good job with all this and freeing Sola. You know what? There's only one more thing you have to do now. You must fulfill your destiny as the Angel of Darkness. You must kill everyone in Heaven. They don't deserve to live to see the new era. Kill your friends, Jaybird. Kill them then toss their bodies down the rift."
Jaylen grabbed his head in his hand. "No!"
Everyone turned to look at him as they set down their glasses. The music stopped. A few of them drew their weapons.
Zeriel stood up. "Jaylen?"
"No . . . no . . . no!" Jaylen pushed through the crowds of people to reach the tall wooden doors. He pushed them open then took off running down the cluttered streets still blanketed with bodies and clutter. He heard the chairs sliding and the clanking of armor as everyone chased after him, calling for him to stop, but he couldn't stop. He couldn't. The urge was boiling inside him, bubbling up in a fury of destructive desire.
Jaylen ran as far away from everyone as he could. If something happened, he couldn't risk harming anyone. He dashed down the streets until he reached the golden gates of Heaven where the rift was still swirling in the ground. He had to protect them. He had to get away.
Zeriel and the other angels landed by the gates, followed on foot by the others. "Stop. Jay, just stop for a minute."
"No. We don't have time." Jaylen backed up until the heels of his boots balanced on the edge of the rift. The rushing wind whipped through his blond bangs and sent the sides of his long coat fluttering around his legs. He looked out at the crowd of angels, demons, humans, and creatures he had come to call friends, family, and the most important people in his life. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry to all of you. I tried to stop this, I did. I never wanted things to get this far, but I can't go back and change anything. Every one of you has changed my life in a wonderful way. I will never forget that. No matter where I go from here, know that I wouldn't be the same without you."
Zeriel pushed through the crowd, but Oviel and Trevor held him back. "Jaylen! Step away from the rift. I know what you're doing, but you can't do this. Not here. Not now. We have Sola out of her cage now. There are other ways to fix this."
"No. There's nothing we can do." Jaylen held out his arms. "This is the end of me. Thank you. I love you, Zeriel. I always have."
"No! Jaylen!"
Jaylen closed his eyes as he fell backwards into the swirling shadows of the rift. He listened to the screaming voices above him being drowned out by the rush of wind as he plummeted through the torn and damaged air. As he picked up speed, he felt his ethereal wings spread out from his back, but he refused to fly. Finalis's panicked shouting filled his mind, but he ignored it. Jaylen relaxed his body as he drifted far from his descent in his mind.
He remembered his mothe
r, the softness of her skin when she held him in her arms in the mornings after he was abused by Doran. Her smell was like a warm spring morning, accented with the warmth of sticky cinnamon buns baking in the oven. She would hold his little hands and spin around in circles in the backyard as the blue jays sang their songs and flittered in the air around them. The blackberry bushes gave sweet berries throughout the summer, the fresh grass was blanketed with purple violets, and the baby rabbits always chased him back to the house and left him in a fit of giggling. Jaylen curled up in her lap and listened to her calm humming as the world melted away around him.
The humming turned to the dark notes of the melancholic paladin dirge that filled his ears as he was kneeling on the cold hard floor of the temple in Ilyan. One by one, the priests beat him with the grape vines until all twenty lashes were given. Bloody and starving, the priests dragged him out into the snow where he was tied to a marble statue of Sola and had to endure the cutting of the bottoms of his feet. Left to the elements of a long winter's night, Jaylen prayed for an angel to come and take him home.
The kind white eyes of a young angel appeared above him where he was strapped down to the altar. The names of hundreds of angels had been called, but only one responded. His tears then flowed freely as the angel ripped the leather straps away then lifted him in his strong arms. Zeriel. In that moment, Jaylen's life had changed forever. In those arms, he would see a million sights he never thought he would see, he would lose more than he ever thought he would own, and he would fall more deeply in love than he could have imagined.
Aldexa was a world more beautiful than anything he thought possible. The high peaks of the Ka'taylin mountains where ravens took up their homes despite the snow, the golden wheat fields surrounding Calchedona, the rocky shores of Cilona where the artificial sunsets kept him company during his stay in the isolation cell. Jaylen delighted in the salty breeze of the ocean during his time on the Reef Runner as first mate. The warm mage-glow tanning his skin, the exotic fruits of the Owani Islands, the spiced rum of the native Islanders who made the most of what they had, and the gentle curls of hair of the woman he had taken to be his wife.
Angel of Darkness Books 6-10 Page 67
