“You would betray your own people? Do you think we will let you get away with this? If you join the humans, it will be the end of us, they will kill us all!”
“I did say ‘we,’ didn’t I?” Svante snapped his finger and four of the major gods in front of the archway appeared next to him. “This makes this a fair fight, I guess. We are tired of your shit. I made a deal with Kevan to bring you down—”
“Kill them!” Queen commanded. The major gods at her side charged forward.
“Men, battle stances!” Kevan yelled. The rebels around him called their weapons and stood at the ready.
The gods and rebels charged each other. Their blades clashed together.
Svante snapped his fingers. Lightning came from the sky and struck four of the gods on Queen’s side. They fell dead. “That should even the odds.”
He snapped again and appeared in front of the archway with two of the gods under him.
Queen yelled, “Where are you going?”
“To awaken He.”
“Stop! You can’t!”
Svante walked through the archway and disappeared. Queen ran for him.
A bullet weaved past her head and she came to a stop.
“I can’t let you go through there, Queen.”
She turned around to see Kevan approaching her. “Good, you’re my fight, anyway.”
“Fine by me.”
“You’ve caused my plans to go to shit, you’ve caused me hell, and you killed my lover. I’m going to enjoy seeing you die like the monkey you are.”
“The hypocrisy is strong, Queen.”
“You don’t think I’ve prepared? I’ve been training my powers for the last two years for this day. The day I kill you for Brookes.”
Queen pulled out a small blade and cut her hand open. The blood oozed out slowly and floated around her. The blood spun around her entire body, over her chest, her back, her legs and arms, and finally her head.
The blood solidified and stretched out into a bone-like structure over her. It looked like hovering armor, it lingered only a few inches from her skin.
It looked like her bones were on the outside of her.
Some of her blood pooled into her hand and formed a spear. The rest of the blood in the air, connected with the blood armor on her back and spread out to form wings.
“This is my ultimate defense,” Queen said with a smile.
18
The Man Who Killed God
August’s eyes sprung open. He was breathing heavily. His shirt stuck to his sweaty chest. A familiar scent filled his nostrils.
He was lying in bed in a small wooden cabin. The place seemed simple, with a couch, fireplace, and a small kitchen area in the corner.
He held a woman in his arms. The smell of the woman calmed him. The scent of safety. The scent of shelter.
Sara.
He had dreamed that he lost her, that he killed her with his own two hands. He shook away the thought. He could never hurt her. He loved her too much to.
He needed air.
He slid his arm from under her and got up. He put on his slippers and walked out the door and onto the porch.
It was a strange night. It was an hour past midnight, August guessed from the position of the moon.
But he could see thousands of feet into the distance, into the cornfield and the trees that surrounded his small little cabin, as if it was as clear as day.
He sat on the stairs that led up to the porch. He rubbed his eyes. They were wet. Had he been crying?
He brushed his hands through his hair. His dream had been burned into his memory. Him killing Sara, his father. He remembered fighting a god to the death.
Which was strange, since gods didn’t exist. The dream was just a dream. Even if it felt so real. Even if he felt Sara’s skin go cold, and the heat from his fist as he bashed his father’s face in.
He couldn’t have killed them, why did he kill them in his dream? He couldn’t remember the why, just the horror. The hate he felt, the anger.
He breathed in deeply, massaging his temples.
“That wasn’t me. I couldn’t have hurt my love, I couldn’t have killed them,” he whispered.
He didn’t, that was someone else. It was only a dream.
He stared into the sky. The night was filled with millions of stars. They littered the sky as if he was in space itself. Stars twinkled unheeded from his world.
He heard the door open and Sara sat next to him. She held a blanket around her. “Couldn’t sleep?”
“Bad dream.”
She laid her head against his shoulder.
“I was wondering why it’d gotten chilly all of a sudden.”
“Sorry about that.”
“No, it’s fine. It’s just the nights here are so damn cold. I didn’t pack for it.”
“We can go into the town in the morning to get you a better jacket.”
“It’s okay. As long as I’m with you, you’ll always warm my heart… What did the vegetables say at the party?”
“I don’t want to answer that.”
“Come on…”
“I don’t know. What?”
“Lettuce turnip the beet!” Sara chuckled.
“That was painfully bad.”
“Yeah, but do you feel better?”
“… Kind of… Next time, just light a fire under my ass. That’s better than your bad jokes.”
“Hey, I thought it was good.”
They sat in silence for some time, staring into the starry night. The warmth Sara brought August felt wonderful. It was a strange night, Sara was bundled up while he hadn’t felt a single gust of air. He wasn’t hot or cold, he simply was.
Sara said, “What was the dream about?”
“It… it’s already gone.”
“Well, I wish we could live in this moment forever.”
“Me, too.”
“Do you? I haven’t seen you take any pictures since we arrived.”
“You have a camera, too.”
“Yeah, but I already took my fill. I have hundreds of moments already. But you have none. If you wished for a moment to last forever, then at least attempt to hold on to it.”
“Every time I do, I squander it, and it turns into shit.”
“Well, I can help you out. I’d like to think I’m good around a camera.”
“No… It’s fine. Having you is enough. You are my moment that I hope would last forever.”
“Aw, if you don’t stop I might forgive you for bringing me out into this boring mountain country,” she laughed.
“We can go somewhere else next time.”
“Sorry. I really do love it here. I’m just making conversation. I’m sure it’s even prettier during the summer; we can come here again, then.” Sara’s hand encased his. Her warmth filled his body.
The dream he had was slowly leaving his memory. All he needed was her. She was his moment. His link to this world. His love. He wanted to never leave her.
Sara continued, “But only if you can keep me for that long,” she said with a smile.
August looked at her. “I promise, I will marry you when I get a chance.”
“Will? Have you already forgotten our vows?”
The ring on August’s left ring finger suddenly felt heavy. He lifted his left hand in front of him.
He had a wedding band on his ring finger. He stared at it in shock. How could he forget?
Sara noticed, “That dream must have really messed you up. You need to get some more rest.” She stood up pulling him to his feet.
“Something is wrong.”
“There’s nothing wrong, honey.” Sara had a concerned look on her face.
The sky flickered white as a car drove up and stopped. Patrick and Barbara got out of the car.
“That’s impossible, they’re dead,” August whispered. A voice in his head suddenly screamed at him.
They’re dead!
The back doors opened and two girls got out and ran up to August.
“Daddy!” they yelled.
Their little hands bear-hugged his legs and then ran to Sara to do the same.
“No,” August muttered. Hundreds of voices yelled in his head. All saying one thing in a chaotic manner.
You killed them!
Sara walked up to Patrick and Barbara as they approached the cabin. “Thanks for watching the kids,” Sara said.
“No problem, they were only a small handful,” Patrick said with a wink.
August’s mind was spinning. “This isn’t real.” The voices got louder, his head pulsed.
They aren’t real!
Sara came up to him and went for a kiss. August pushed her away. She stumbled back confused.
“August, what’s wrong?”
“This isn’t real!”
You killed them!
August’s family surrounded him. Sara slowly walked up to him. “Please, August, stop. You’re scaring the kids.” The look of worry was on all their faces.
“What’s wrong with Daddy?” one of his daughters said.
“Nothing honey, he’s just tired,” Sara said.
“Stop, stop!” The voices became unrelenting. Disorienting as they screamed at him frantically. Their pleas becoming just white noise in his head. They weren’t real! You killed them! This isn’t real!
They all took a step back.
“They’re not real and neither are you!”
“What? Of course, I am. Please come inside and get some rest. It’ll be all better in the morning.” She reached for him and he slapped her hand away.
He clutched his head and started to cry. “You’re not real… this isn’t happening… because I killed you.”
He slammed his eyes shut and tried to block out the noise. All he heard was their pleadings to help him. His screams of insanity.
“I killed you! I killed you! This isn’t real, I killed you, I killed you all!”
A sudden heat exploded out of August, his eyes flung open as the reality around him was blown apart into a white light.
Michael stood in the Wavering Radiant, staring at the beauty of the Omega Key, at the silence of the Wavering Radiant. “No one will hurt you again.”
Behind him, a tear split apart the clouds. In the tear, millions of colors swirled inside it and a hand reached out. August screamed as he pulled himself out of the tear.
The tear closed and August stood staring into his hands. A single tear fell from his eyes and into his hand. He could feel his hand again. He was whole. His entire body had a glow. He finally understood his power. The power to destroy. That was who he was. A murderer, a destroyer.
With the power, he would kill Michael and He.
With this power he could stop the voices forever. He forced the voices out of the back of his head and out into the ether of nothingness, eradicating them forever.
There was a long-needed silence in August’s head. A coming to understanding. He could finally enjoy the silence of the Wavering Radiant, the silence of his thoughts.
Michael looked at him in shock.
“You’re…you’re wrong, Michael. I’ve already experienced my death thousands of times, I’ve lived thousands of lives, I have conquered death, I have already accepted my inevitability.”
“Impossible! No one can escape the Wavering Radiant. Once it consumes you, you become a part of it, your wildest dreams become possible. The vision of your perfect life would become realized! What are you?”
“I’ve accepted the sins of who I am. I’ve accepted death, I’ve accepted that I killed my loved ones. That I will never be able to see them again. I’ve accepted everything. I am who I am. The lies of the Radiant won’t change that. I have come to terms with my violation.”
“You need to be destroyed, the power you have is impossible. You’re messing with creation itself. You shouldn’t have been able to escape!” Michael repeated. He couldn’t believe that someone could escape. Only He himself could escape death.
August called his sword. “You will pay for making me experience my sins again.” He blinked the red from his eyes. No more crying, no more regrets, no more hesitation. Where there was hesitation, there were memories, and in those memories, was death.
August leapt incredibly high into the air. He swung out his hands and changed the density in the air to allow him to fly through it.
He was changing creation itself.
The suit jacket on Michael’s back burst into flames as a pair of incredibly long black wings erupted from his back. “It’s my job to protect the Radiant and the gods from destroying themselves. I already failed one of my duties, I won’t fail my last.”
He flew up into the air and August zoomed towards him. Their blades met in the middle. Michael’s swords of fire and August’s blade of creation.
There was a flurry of slashes between them as they met blade for blade.
They flew in a dance of hawks. Never landing the killing blow, never landing on the ground.
August calculated all his moves as he swung at Michael. Michael was fast and powerful. But he wasn’t experienced in battle. He had a detectable routine.
He was going to use that to his advantage. He rocketed for Michael and allowed him to swing at him.
August pushed out his hand and caught one of the blades in it. He willed his power into it, but it reverberated back and Michael raised his other sword.
Before Michael could counter, August sent a blast of energy from his hand into his face.
Michael swooped back; he brushed off the ash from his face. He wasn’t hurt.
August cursed, that should have done something to him. But nothing. August glanced down at the clouds as they swirled beneath them.
It finally clicked for August, why Michael was so strong and why he couldn’t destroy his blade.
Michael was using the Wavering Radiant as his power source. The power of creation, the power of the gods. Michael was the Radiant itself.
It was the power of creation versus the power of destruction. Michael was channeling the power into a single core. His power was in such a dense state that it was too powerful for August to will into whatever he wanted.
The only way to destroy him was to tear him apart with his blade. The power of the energy blast he was using was too spread out when it contacted, he couldn’t use it anymore. He needed to sever Michael’s connection with this world.
Michael flew around him in a flutter of attacks and strikes. August slowed Michael down by increasing the heaviness of the reality around him. August’s attention was to the ground. If the Wavering Radiant was so spread out, he might be able to…
Michael noticed August was distracted and flew in for the kill. All it would take was one single hit. Both were powerful enough to end it quickly.
August pooled energy into his hand and hurled it toward the ground.
“Noo!” Michael yelled.
The energy hit the clouds and exploded out in a bright light. It left behind a pure black hole in the clouds. No clouds moved to replace it, its darkness seemingly absorbed the light around it.
Part of the Wavering Radiant was gone forever.
“You fool!” Michael charged at him and swung. August easily dodged and weaved through his moves. He was heated and August was going to use it to his advantage.
August kicked Michael back and released another energy blast into the clouds.
This was it. Michael was staring at the energy round hitting the clouds below. August charged for Michael to take the finishing blow. As the light of the blast flashed in and out of August’s vision, Michael appeared in front of him.
He saw through his ploy. It was too late for August to move, but he wouldn’t if he had a chance. He didn’t change the reality around him, he didn’t slow Michael down, he simply allowed him to strike.
This body was not his own, so why did he fear losing it? He didn’t fear death. Not anymore. It was the only place he could join Sara.
But he wasn’t planning on joining her today.
&nbs
p; Michael’s right blade cleaved into August left arm, sending it into the air. His left blade plunged into his chest.
August felt a searing pain, but it wasn’t over. He raised his blade and severed Michael’s left wing.
Michael screamed out as his power of flight left him.
August kicked Michael from him, Michael's blades following with him.
Blood surged from August’s wounds. But even though he felt the pain, he didn’t feel his death approaching.
He stared at Michael as he fell from the heavens. “This body of mine is just a vessel. It’s my own soul that powers it.”
In a colorful light, his arm reformed and the wound in his chest closed. He raised his blade and zoomed toward Michael.
In a split second, he flew past him, his blade exiting Michael’s flesh. Michael screamed as the top and bottom half of his body separated. As August landed on the ground, the two Michaels fell behind him.
“That’s an interesting trick,” Kevan said. Queen had a smug look on her face. The blood armor hovered ominously around her.
Kevan gripped his rifle. She must have a trick up her sleeve. The power he had could destroy anything it touched. There was no such thing as an ultimate defense to it.
Around Kevan and Queen, the rebels and gods fought head-to-head. But Kevan blocked them out. As Svante, one of the most powerful gods, was on their side, he knew his men could hold their own.
He had Queen to worry about. It was time to find out if what she said was a lie.
Kevan fired off a round at her. A pool of blood rushed in front of her and blocked it.
Kevan fired again and again. Each time, Queen’s blood blocked the rounds. Kevan clenched his teeth.
He rushed her, rifle raised, and swung for her head. Her blood blocked him. It was strong as steel. Kevan pushed harder against it.
Queen’s face clenched as Kevan heard sizzling from the blood. Kevan grunted hard as he pushed on. Queen’s spear pierced out and sliced his cheek. Kevan pressed harder and threw Queen back.
Queen skidded to a stop a few feet away from him. The blood his rifle touched slowly burned away. More came to take its place.
Legends of the Damned: A Collection of Edgy Urban Fantasy and Paranormal Romance Novels Page 228
