by L. L Hunter
“I’m so glad you’re here. You’re just in time.” She winced in pain and held her hand out to him. He took it.
“I’m sorry that we were separated again.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Rachael cried out in pain again.
“It’s time to push, Rachael,” informed the nurse. Lakyn squeezed Rachael’s hand firmer.
“But I don’t want to… I can’t!”
“You can, Rachael, you can do this,” Lakyn tried to comfort her but the expression on Rachael’s face showed fear.
“Rachael, you have to push now. The baby’s coming,” warned the nurse.
“But…”
“Now, Rachael. You have to push now!”
“No!” Rachael screamed as she pushed with all her might. And soon after, a new life was bought into the world.
“It’s a girl!” cried Lakyn as Rachael collapsed against the bed.
“That’s…good,” Rachael gasped, exhausted.
“What are you going to name her?” the midwife inquired.
“I was thinking… Eden. It means ‘a place of pleasure’,” Rachael stated.
“Why?” asked Lakyn.
Rachael’s eyes met his as she held their daughter. “Being with you, reminds me of the Garden of Eden from The Chronicle.” This caused Lakyn to smile.
“Because you were tempted like Eve?”
“Exactly,” she smiled. Lakyn leaned forward. He was about to kiss her when he heard his name being called.
“Mr Blackbell?” It was one of the midwives.
“Yes? And it’s Lakyn. Mr Blackbell is my father.”
“Well, Lakyn, can you come with me for a moment?”
He nodded and turned to Rachael. Baby Eden was already asleep against her chest. He stroked both of their heads.
“I’ll be right back,” he told them, following the Michaelite midwife through the black curtain. Rachael hugged her daughter closer to her and stared after Lakyn with concern.
Once out in the hall, the midwife confronted Lakyn and pulled him aside.
“What’s going on?”
“Do you have dark intentions?” asked the midwife. Lakyn was dumbfounded. It was peculiar question to ask, and a bit rude, he thought.
“Um… why are you asking?”
“I need to know, because if you do, that child is in grave danger.”
“What do you mean, ‘in danger’?”
“We did a blood test, and the results… they were unusual, to say the least.”
“Look, can you please clarify? Because I’m freaking out as it is.”
“Your daughter’s blood showed trace amounts of demon blood.”
“Demon blood? But I’m not a demon, I’m Nephilim.”
“You are more connected to the darkness than you realise.”
“Look, lady, you don’t know what you’re saying, you’re just a Human,” he accused, pointing a finger before turning to head back into the room. But the woman’s voice gave him pause.
“Up until Rachael met you, she was, too.”
“What?”
“The mother of your child was raised human.” The midwife fixed Lakyn a warning glare before entering the birthing suite, leaving Lakyn standing alone in the hallway with his thoughts. The lights flickered above, and then went out, shrouding Lakyn in darkness.
The Lucifite lair came into view and Lakyn cursed. Realising that fourteen years ago, after Eden’s birth, he had been warned about her trait. Her blood had shown early signs of it, and he had only taken it lightly.
“Stupid. How could you be so stupid,” he told himself before landing at the door to his future.
To be continued . . .
Definitions | Lexicon
The Chronicle: A Legend of the Archangel Lexicon
Realms
There are numerous realms in existence and each hold a different purpose.
The Realm of Fire – The Michaelite word for The Realm of Fire is Heaven and it is the place where all angels are born and lived in the beginning before The Fall. The Realm of Fire is located just below the Stratosphere and above the clouds. The Landscape changes and appears differently for each angel that enters.
The Realm of Light – The middle realm. The Realm of Light is the place of judgement for all angels. Angels are summoned here if they need to receive punishment for a crime, or simply need to have the progress of their Task checked upon. The landscape of the Realm of Light is mountainous and cool, with pine forests and snow- capped mountains. The Forest of Light exists in this realm in the centre of the realm. As does the Crystal River and The Bridge of Wings.
The Realm of Ice – The Michaelite word for The Realm of Ice is especially Hell, and is the place where all angels who are punished are sent to be jailed. Its landscape is an ice- covered wasteland of the last place the punished were thinking of. Not many escape this realm.
The Realm of Death – Also known as The Realm of Souls. This realm is where the souls of angels are sent after their bodies die. The souls are carried across the River Mortis by the Gatekeeper of the realm, also known as the Grim Reaper – the reaper of souls. Only the Grim Reaper has the power to add or remove a soul from The Realm of Death.
Traits
Each Angel will develop their own unique trait or ability when they reach the age of twenty one. But lineage also determines which trait an angel will develop. For example, if one parent has the ability to control the weather, then the offspring will most likely develop a trait relating to weather.
Hierarchy also determines which trait an angel will receive. If an angel’s lineage points back to an Archangel for instance, then the child’s trait will most likely be of fire. But a child born out of an archangel lineage hasn’t occurred since The Fall.
Tasks
Each angel usually receives his or her Task when they turn eighteen, but then again not everyone will receive a task. The significance of Task giving is said to originate from before the time of The Fall when God would hand each of his angels a job to fulfil in one’s lifetime. If an angel strayed from their Task or lost focus, they were severely punished, and in some cases, their wings ripped out. To be given a Task is a rare and special gift, one to be cherished.
Talent
Like a Trait, each angel will find they have a certain affinity for one of the basic Angel fundamentals, such as Glory or Voice, and some instances, an affinity for strength for being a natural fighter. Like a Task, not everyone will develop a Talent, but everyone is encouraged to at least train in each of the fields.
Voice
An Angel’s voice is a basic necessity and has two main purposes;
The voice can be used as a GPS beacon to find one’s mate. Like that of a bird, an angel’s voice will automatically be recognised by that of his or her mate, or soul mate. But the voice can also be used in the heat of battle as a protection shield (see section on Weapons) when used in conjunction with Glory. (See below for Glory)
Glory
An Angel’s Glory is the representation of one’s self in The Realm of Fire where all angels are made up of light, matter, and energy. An angel can project their Glory in time of peril. Adrenalin can also cause the Glory to show outside the body.
Wings
An angel’s wings are said to appear after they turn twenty- one or when they learn to summon them out. Wings can appear in a range of colours, from white, grey, silver, or in some rare cases, Gold and Black. The colour of the wing can be determined by an angel’s lineage or if they have completed a Task, but the former is more common.
Weapons
There are numerous weapons, which a Nephilim can use, each for a different purpose.
There are Archangel blades made from metal that comes specifically from The Realm of Fire. Forged from Heavenly Fire, the blade burns white when it strikes the flesh of a demon. The metal also singes any who have demon blood in their veins.
There are also special daggers forged by the Blackbell family for each of the family who runs a
n Academy around the world, each emblazoned with their family crest. These daggers can only wielded by those with angelic blood.
Angel bows – constructed to collapse and fold down to the size of a pen, they are light and durable. These bows are made in gold and in silver. Anything forged in gold can be used to kill or wound an Archangel or Nephilim, and anything silver, a Demon or Fallen Angel. But there is a fault. The bows can only be used with a special kind of arrow head called a Tear Tip. (See below)
Tear Tips – A special arrow head coated in a thin film of Archangel tears. Angel bows can only be used with these arrow heads and the Tear Tips are hard to come by. Disclaimer: A tear tip shot from a gold bow will not kill an archangel because of the archangel tears. Archangels can only be wounded or killed by touching or drinking out of the Chalice of St Michael.
The Chalice of St Michael – A consecrated chalice made of pure gold from the Realm of Fire. It is said to have belonged to St Michael the Archangel and is the only known instrument that can injure an Archangel.
Academies
When a Nephilim reaches the age of twenty- one they are to enrol in an Angel Academy to learn how to hone their Trait and to develop a Talent. Most Nephilim begin to develop their traits around the age of twenty- one because that is when their angelic blood is activated. In some rare cases, some Nephilim offspring do develop traits earlier than twenty- one.
There is an Academy situated in each capital city around the world, with smaller branches situated in each major – non- capital city run by families. Those smaller academies are named after the family that run them.
Michaelites
The last remaining souls known to carry pure human blood, the Michaelites are consisted mostly of Nuns, Priests and brothers who service the needs of the Nephilim and protect them if need be. They have dedicated their lives to researching the Nephilim.
Lucifites
(This chapter was removed due to its controversial content and then later put back in after much discussion.)
The Lucifites, also known as followers of Lucifer. They have been known to dabble in Dark Magick such as Demonic rituals to make themselves more powerful. They are also rumours that they have developed a drug with hallucinogenic properties that makes the user more susceptible to demonic possession.
Acknowledgments
Writing this book has been like a thesis, and I’m glad to finally have it back in your hands. As my first book, The Chronicles of Fire and Ice, and it’s characters, Scarlett, Dyston, and Lakyn will always hold a special piece of my heart.
This book came to me through a dream, like the moment Scarlett first dreamed of her mysterious dark angel, Dyston.
2012 was a hard year for me with the loss of two souls close to me, but something good came from the bad—this little book. I’m proud of the finished product. It’s taken two years to get to this point, and I hope you will treasure this edition—if for the first or twentieth time.
This book has been on a journey and it wouldn’t have arrived to its destination without the help of the following people:
To Father Laurie, who read and critiqued my first horrible draft. I appreciate all you have done for me and my family.
To Tqwana and all at Writer’s Bloq for giving me priceless advice and insight into the tough publishing industry. Thank you for giving me a chance, even though it didn’t work out in the end. This book is better because of you.
To Regina Wamba, who created the most gorgeous and amazing cover that captured the attention of the world the first time I published Fire and Ice and still makes me breathless to this day.
And last but not least, to my readers, YOU who have taken my characters and the world of The Legend of Archangel under your wing and loved and hated them (Although, Heather, I know you secretly love Lakyn.)
Other Works by L.L. Hunter
The Eden Chronicles
The Garden of Eden
The Garden of Death
The Aqua Saga
The Aqua Secret
The Adelaide Paige Saga
First Glance
Standalone Books
Treacherous (18+)
Coming Soon
The much anticipated second book in
The Legend of the Archangel Series—
The Chronicles of Blood and Stone
Coming July 13, 2014
L.L. Hunter, Author
L.L. Hunter is the author of over 20 published works, including The Legend of the Archangel Series and The Eden Chronicles. She has studied everything from veterinary nursing, forensic science, and dramatic arts, but has always known her true calling was to be an author. She has been writing since her teens - everything from fan fiction, to song lyrics, to plays and musicals. When not working on her next paranormal romance, she can be found at home in Australia, reading somewhere comfortable with one or both of her fur babies.
Follow her on Facebook, Twitter @llhunterbooks, her website http://llhunterauthor.wordpress.com
and her blog - http://llhunter.blogspot.com.au.
