Heaven's Fallen

by Benjamin Medrano

  Outside the cell was a hallway that was mostly normal sized, and on the other side of it was an elven woman sitting in a chair. She had straw-blonde hair, brown eyes, and was wearing light chain that gave a good idea of her thin, athletic physique. She had a sword and horn at her belt and was otherwise surprisingly normal looking to Kanae.

  “I don’t suppose they would. Alas, I’ve always been a bit unusual, and—” Kanae began, moving her hands downward to sit up, and then suddenly paused, looking down at herself, and flinched as she murmured. “Oh. Oh, hellfire… the damage must have been worse than I thought.”

  Kanae was naked beneath the thin blanket, but that wasn’t what prompted her comment. Instead, it was what she looked like that concerned her. Gone was the pale, faintly purple-tinged skin she’d possessed when she was last awake, instead she had a soft pink skin more suited to a flower than a demon or mortal. Her chest was larger again, and at a guess, she’d lost at least three or four inches of height.

  “Oh? You seem to have recovered just fine. Despite traumatizing a goodly number of the housekeeping staff,” the elven guard said, a hard edge to her voice.

  “Yes, well, it wasn’t exactly by choice. I haven’t found a way to overcome my regeneration yet,” Kanae replied, running a hand down her left arm. “I had a hard enough time keeping the transmutation spells carved into my bones from healing as it was. Alas, it appears that those didn’t survive my… experience. I suppose I’ll have to get used to my original body again.”

  The woman blinked, obviously startled, then pursed her lips as she looked at Kanae. She seemed to debate for a moment, then asked, “Those were transmutation spells? Someone thought they might be why you kept growing back, so decided to destroy your bones. Obviously, that didn’t work.”

  “Yes. I liked being taller, thank you,” Kanae said, then sighed. “So, where did I end up, anyway? I got shot with an arrow that teleported me. One second I was in the hells, and now I can tell we’re in the mortal world.”

  “I’m not telling you,” the guard said promptly. “Milady ordered you imprisoned, and she intends to question you in person.”

  “Oh, just lovely,” Kanae replied, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply, trying to firmly step on her worries. “That means… likely in one of the border regions or in the Kingdoms of Light. Just lovely.”

  The woman didn’t reply, but that was enough of an answer for Kanae. After a few moments, the woman asked, “What’s your name?”

  “If I tell you, will you return the favor?” Kanae asked, opening her eyes to look at the woman.

  The elf considered for a moment, then nodded. “I don’t see any harm there. I’m named Maura Eldwood.”

  “Nice to meet you, Maura, or as nice as it can be under the circumstances,” Kanae said, and then she made a decision. If she had her old body, she may as well use her original name, or most of it. “My name is Kitania. I’ve taken several surnames over the years, but… Kitania works well enough.”

  “Indeed? Well, I’m sure Milady will be interested to hear that,” Maura replied, smiling thinly. “It isn’t every day that a demon intrudes into the home of a goddess.”

  Kitania winced, then murmured, “Well, that explains all the arrows. Do you have any idea when she’s going to question me?”

  “Not a clue. When she’s ready to, I presume,” Maura replied, looking amused.

  “Well, that being the case… I suppose I may as well rest,” Kitania replied, sitting back again and pulling up the blanket.

  “You’ve been resting for three days!” Maura protested incredulously.

  “No, I’ve been regenerating for three days,” Kitania corrected, rolling over to face the wall. “There’s a difference between being unconscious and rest.”

  Closing her eyes, Kitania dearly hoped that Isalla and Rose were safe. That was far more worrying than her captivity, at least to her.

  “Still nothing. Heavens help them if they’re fooling around,” Haral muttered, clenching her fists and breathing in deeply.

  She hadn’t gotten word from the strike team into Hragon yet, which was making her anxious. Her superiors wouldn’t be pleased if they’d failed yet again, and she deeply wished to avoid their wrath. Considering for a moment, she came to a decision.

  “If they failed, I’ll deal with the problem myself, as soon as I figure out what happened,” Haral said, truly annoyed. “I should’ve killed them both personally, despite the possibility of someone tracking their deaths to me.”

  Haral let out a breath and forced herself to relax. Despite her frustration, otherwise, things were going well. All they needed was time.

  Then the heavens could return to the glory they truly deserved.

  The End

  I’m a little surprised with how Heaven’s Fallen turned out. Many characters surprised me, and the plot is only starting to truly get moving at this point, yet it’s the best break in the story I could think of for the first volume of Mantles of Power. I can’t guarantee how soon the second book will be out, titled Mortal Gods, but it’s on my short list of projects.

  To me, the story is fascinating because of how different so many characters are when compared to classic tropes, even when I intended things to turn out differently. How it will end… who knows for sure? Certainly not me, though I have a rough idea of where I want the story to go. I’m more than happy to allow Isalla, Kitania, and Rose to make their choices and see where it takes me.

  Thank you all for reading Heaven’s Fallen, I greatly appreciate it! You can find the next book, Mortal Gods, below!

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  If you want to find more of my books, you can find them at the following link.

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  Also, if you’d care to review this story, I’d greatly appreciate it! Again, thank you for reading Heaven’s Fallen. You can find a sneak-peek of Mortal Gods on the following page.

  Mortal Gods Prologue

  “What do you mean, you can’t find her?” Isalla demanded incredulously, and Rose’s worry grew stronger as she saw her beloved friend’s fingernails biting into her palms. “You don’t mean she’s dead, do you?”

  The two angels were standing in a small room, with Estalia’s distracting presence nearby and the tall, imposing figure of the demon queen’s archmage in the middle of the room. Veldoran was handsome, Rose admitted to herself, though she didn’t care for the demon’s almost blood-colored skin, and it was more of a academic appreciation for her. She just wasn’t that interested in men, and never had been. Veldoran also looked slightly annoyed by Isalla’s interruption, which helped Rose focus on the conversation.

  “Calmly, Isalla. Please give Veldoran time to explain, he has my full trust.” Estalia interrupted gently, stepping forward to place a hand on Isalla’s shoulder, her pale blue skin glowing from within, her presence distracting beyond belief, almost everyone looking at her, and Rose felt herself relaxing as she did so. “He wouldn’t say something like that without good reasons.”

  “I… you’re right, I just…” Isalla began, then took a deep breath and bowed her head. Rose smiled in relief as Isalla’s right hand slipped into hers, and she gave Isalla’s hand a gentle squeeze as her friend raised her head and spoke to Veldoran apologetically. “My apologies, Sir Veldoran, I’m just… anxious. Kanae… no, Kitania, saved my life, and I’m very worried about her.”

  “Your apology is accepted.” Veldoran replied after a moment, nodding as his expression softened slightly. “However, please don’t call me sir. Archmage is my preferred title. Now, as for Kitania… it isn’t that I’m not getting a response from her. She’s obviously among the living, but despite that I c
an’t find where she is.”

  “May I ask what that means?” Rose asked softly, frowning as she tried to recall her old lessons on magic. It had been so long that she was rusty, and she hated that she’d forgotten so much. “While I have some grasp of magic, my training was in fire, not in divinations. I remember being told that divination is among the more difficult types of magic to learn.”

  Veldoran smiled slightly, obviously pleased at the praise as he nodded at her in approval as he spoke. “That’s very true, it is a difficult field of study. I see only three possibilities, two of which are quite similar. One is that she was deposited in an area where divinations are unreliable. While rare, such places do exist. Another possibility, far more likely considering the nature of her departure, is that she’s in an area warded against divinations. Unfortunately, defending against divinations is easier than casting them, and it takes a significantly more powerful diviner to defeat well-crafted shields. Kitania was only of moderate skill, nowhere near an archmage in skill, and she was capable of giving me trouble on occasion.”

  “That means that there are hundreds of places she could be, if not more.” Estalia murmured, squeezing Isalla’s shoulder gently before letting go as she frowned, sparking a bit more worry in Rose’s mind. Fortunately, the queen continued a moment later. “What’s the third option, Veldoran?”

  “That is the one I consider least likely, Your Majesty, but it must be said. She may have been transported beyond the borders of the heavens, hells, or mortal world.” Veldoran said, his smile fading entirely, and Rose’s anxiety spiked at the unfamiliar idea. “I don’t believe such is likely, as there are only two locations in the mortal world where travel beyond is said to be possible, but it is within the realm of possibility.”

  “That… would be truly unfortunate.” Estalia murmured, and Rose’s tension grew even more as Isalla’s hand tightened around her own, feeling much like a coiled spring.

  “What’s beyond the borders?” Rose asked, struggling to keep her voice from trembling. She didn’t want to make Isalla’s worry even worse. As much as she’d come to like Kitania, they hadn’t had much time together. “I mean, I’ve heard a few bits and pieces about the borders, but no one really talks about what’s… beyond.”

  “A world that is enormous beyond imagining, Rose. Multiple worlds, really, some of which would swallow all of our own inside them like they didn’t exist. They’re vast, and home to the rumored Ephemeral Gods… but no one knows much.” Estalia said, her voice soft and musing, and she shook her head as Isalla inhaled sharply. “No, I don’t think she was transported there. Even if she was, it would only be a matter of time before she found her way back.”

  “I believe that you are correct, Your Majesty.” Veldoran agreed, to Rose’s relief.

  Rose felt herself relax again at their agreement, opening her mouth to speak, but Isalla beat her to it, taking a small step forward to draw their attention. “Well, if Kitania probably isn’t there, how can we find her?”

  Estalia looked at Veldoran and tilted her head slightly, asking calmly. “Is there a way to do so, Veldoran? You’re the one who found her to begin with, after all.”

  “There is, though it is… extremely difficult.” Veldoran admitted, frowning unhappily as he stroked his chin. “I’ll need to do some research first. I have a ritual which is supposed to empower location spells to pierce almost any barrier, but such will be difficult to perform.”

  “Is there anything we could do to help, Archmage?” Rose asked, looking at him in concern. If she could help, she’d certainly do so, but she doubted she’d be able to.

  “No, I’m afraid not. The preparations will take most of a month, I’m afraid, perhaps a bit longer. I’m going to have to look over the ritual and refresh my memory first.” Veldoran explained, then grinned as he straightened, his eyes flashing with enthusiasm. “I’m not going to let some paltry barrier prevent me from finding Kitania again, though, don’t you worry about that. The difficult part is going to be some of the ritual components.”

  “They aren’t going to bankrupt me, are they?” Estalia asked, a smile playing across her lips as she looked at Rose and Isalla, adding in a gently teasing tone. “I do love my daughter, but there are limits to what I can afford to spend on her.”

  “No, not that difficult, Your Majesty.” Veldoran said quickly, his smile widening. “They’re going to run about, oh, half my annual stipend.”

  “Ah. In that case, let me know what you need and I’ll have them found for you.” Estalia said, and looked at Isalla sympathetically, adding softly. “I promise, we’ll find Kitania. It’s just going to take longer than I’d hoped.”

  “Alright. I just… worry.” Isalla murmured, looking down as she shuffled her feet. Rose wished that she could do something to ease Isalla’s worries.

  “You aren’t the only one, Isalla.” Rose assured her quickly, letting out a nervous breath. “Now, let’s go. I’m sure that the Archmage and Her Majesty have things they need to be doing.”

  “Alright.” Isalla agreed, and nodded her head to Veldoran and the queen as she said. “Thank you for everything.”

  Rose gently escorted Isalla out, and as she did so, she saw a brief, uncharacteristic look of worry cross Estalia’s face. It worried Rose as well, but she wasn’t going to tell Isalla about Estalia’s concern. Her friend didn’t need more reasons to worry, after all. Rose did hope that Kitania was safe, though.

  She may not have had much time with Kitania, but Rose had enjoyed Kitania’s steady, soothing personality. She just wished that they’d had more time to learn about one another.