by Katrina Cope
Contents
Praise for the Afterlife Series
Books by Katrina Cope
Copyright
Title Page
Dedication
Free Book
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
What's Next?
Acknowledgments
Newsletter
Review
About the Author
Also by Katrina Cope
AFTERLIFE
Book Four
Divided Paths
Praise for Fledgling
‘It has a quite literally colourful cast of characters, and a plot that moves at a nice pace, while keeping you guessing about what will happen next.’ - Toriz
‘I never put it down unless I had to and when it was over I wanted to read on. Those are the markings of a great read for me.’ - JEP
‘The plot is tightly developed and the characters are so well defined which made for a refreshing read. I look forward to reading the sequels!.’ - Kaz
‘The story is great and the twists and turns kept me very much entertained. I am hoping this is part of a series and if so, I can not wait for the next chapter.’ - Julie
‘I adored the fight scenes that happened through out the book. It made me feel like I was there watching them.’ - Shaun
‘What I am asking is when will the next one come out because I really just want it now. - Owen
Praise for The Taking
‘I always try not to get too hyped up about a book. However, having read the first book in this series, I was eager to read this one, and had high hopes for it. I was not disappointed! This book was a fantastic read!
I enjoyed getting to know more about the characters, and watching the relationships between them grow and evolve. Plus, the plot was both interesting and exciting; it grabbed your attention quickly, and kept you guessing until the end.’ - Toriz
‘The Taking doesn’t disappoint; avoiding the sequel slump that can often stymie a series. The story has a gradual build up in intensity ending in a great fight scene finish. The ending was full of action packed surprises.’ - Will Wortner
‘Must Read! I loved this book, and the prior one. I want a third. The creativity was amazing and it was well written.’ - Erika
‘Great Read! Action, adventure, and to love stories. I can't wait to read book3. You will be on the edge of your seat.’ - Helen
‘These are not serene angels gently guiding their human charges through life. These are kick-ass super heroes who are not afraid to put themselves in the way of extreme danger for what they believe is right. Overall a second strong showing in this series and very recommended.’ - Phil
Praise for Angelic Retribution
‘I thought the the first two instalments of the Afterlife saga, following the exploits of human-turned-angel Aurora, were absolutely terrific. With this third instalment I feel like I need to invent some new superlatives as all the existing ones seem somehow inadequate.’ - Phil
‘This book is an excellent addition to the series, which makes for an enjoyable read. It is well-written, and has an interesting plot that moves at a nice pace.’ - Toriz
Books by Katrina Cope
~~~~~
Pre-Teen Books
The Sanctum Series
JAYDEN & THE MYSTERIOUS MOUNTAIN
SCARLET’S ESCAPE
TAYLOR’S PLIGHT
ERIC & THE BLACK AXES
ADRIANNA’S SURGE
~~~~~
Young Adult Urban Fantasy
Afterlife Series
FLEDGLING
THE TAKING
ANGELIC RETRIBUTION
DIVIDED PATHS
Afterlife Novelette
THE GATEKEEPER
~~~~~
Young Adult Urban Paranormal Fantasy
Supernatural Evolvement Series
(Associated with the Afterlife Series)
WITCH’S LEGACY (Prequel)
AALIYAH
Copyright
Divided Paths
Ebook first published in USA in January 2019 by Katrina Cope
Ebook first published in Great Britain in January 2019 by Katrina Cope
www.katrinacopebooks.com
Text Copyright © 2019 by Katrina Cope
Cover Design Copyright © DamonZa.com
The moral right of Katrina Cope to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted
All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher
This book is a work of fiction. Any references or suggestions herein to actual historical events, real people or actual locations are fictitious. All names, characterisations, locations, incidents, and fabrications are solely the product of the author’s imagination, and any, and all, resemblance to actual persons alive or dead or locations or events is entirely coincidental.
Published by Katrina Cope
All rights reserved
ASIN: B07KN4JC6B
ISBN: 9781791695644
Afterlife
Book Four
Divided Paths
KATRINA COPE
Shaun, Owen, Braeden & Michael,
for understanding that working toward a goal requires a lot of time and effort.
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- Chapter One -
I wheel my double-sided Egyptian ax, and it slices the demon's face faster than a hot knife through butter. Without waiting for the demon to fall, I twist my hands around the shaft of the ax and swing it into another demon that’s trying to sneak up behind me. It lands straight in its gut, slicing deep, and black blood spills over the blue-and-gold blade. My feet nimbly twist and rotate to another direction, years of practice falling into place.
As I spin, I spot a demon coming up behind Michael's back. He can't see it, as it approaches from behind his majestic white wings, which tuck neatly down his back. I dash forward, swing my ax, and slice off the demon's head—the angelically blessed blade sears its skin and prevents any chance of it healing itself. Blood squirts from the decapitated neck and smears my white gown and golden breastplate.
Michael finishes the demon in front of him, and it falls to the ground. Then he spins in my direction, his sapphire-blue eyes wild and alert, searching for the flow of liquid that sprayed his body. He spots the demon that has fallen to the ground then looks at me. “Thank you, brother.” Kindness shines in his eyes, which were sharp as stones only moments before.
I nod slightly at him before I spin in the other direction, checking for another demon. We fight the continued onslaught with our backs faci
ng each other.
We are alone in this fight. We stumbled into a group of demons while we were checking on a rumor of disturbed human existence. We discovered that it wasn’t a rumor, and demons assaulted us. There must have been at least twenty of them when we arrived. And now I can hear Michael's sword slashing as I battle with the others coming my way.
We're down to our last few demons. My body aches, and I can feel the exhaustion setting in. I mutter a few words in an angelic tongue and feel my strength return before continuing with the defense. Black demon blood soaks our clothes and the ground surrounding us. The demons groan as they fall.
We're down to our last one, and Michael drives his sword through its heart. When he retracts it, black blood drips from the sword and pools with the other blood on the ground.
“Well done, Zacharias. Well done, my brother.” His face beams at me with love and respect—ours is the love of brothers who have spent millennia together. We serve together and fight together, and it has been that way since the beginning of time.
I am lucky to be the right-hand man for the great Archangel Michael, who is a fierce warrior and protector. My job is to help him and to protect him. “I'm only doing my job, which, I might add, I love to do. Besides, you've done quite well yourself.”
Michael chuckles and slaps a hand on my shoulder, his strong warrior muscles rippling under his golden skin. “You say that like you are my servant. You are my brother, and I love to have you by my side.”
I smile at him. “I'm only stating the truth, but I'd never give it up for the world. I only live to serve,” I reply with mock seriousness.
Michael bends forward and laughs, his leather Roman uniform creaking with the movement. When he stands straight, he wipes his face, removing a smear of demon blood. “If I didn't know there was some truth to that, it would be insulting.” He braces me around the shoulders and gives me a half hug. “Come. Let's go. Our work is done here.”
Just as my knees bend to push off to the sky, a portal opens before us. Demons flock through, and they’re aiming at us. A cackle ripples through the air, and through the portal emerges an old man hunched over with a long staff that reaches high above him. A headband wraps around his head and over one eye. He smiles broadly, and brown, gaping teeth show through.
“Gatekeeper,” I say, my voice firm. “What is the meaning of this?”
The old man's feet shuffle forward, and he licks his dry, cracked lips lavishly. He approaches, managing to walk within the demons’ protection. “I don't need a meaning. As my master demands, I will deliver. Yes, yes. I will deliver with pleasure.” His voice is husky.
He shuffles his feet toward the portal and hits his staff against the ground. “Evil ones, begin.” Then he disappears back through the portal, and it dissipates.
At least thirty new demons file out of that portal. We’ve already fought enough for the day, but now, as we're still catching our breath, the demons bombard us. They look like old men with bat-like wings. They have shriveled bodies and faces with skin tight against their bones, as though they’re dehydrated from years of being unable to drink. Their gnarly hands are grotesque and knuckly. Their feet are bare, and they wear sari-like material wrapped around their bodies.
They look decrepit and harmless, but their touch can burn and sear an angel's skin. And if they use it the right way, they can sap the energy right out of an angel, kidnap them, and take them to a place in front of the higher demons where they can be persecuted.
This isn't going to happen on my watch. I brace both hands on the shaft of my ax and position my feet hip distance apart. I ready for the fight, making sure I edge slightly in front of Michael, only to see him regain the space. He’s not one to hide behind me, even though it’s my duty to protect him. We are in this together.
- Chapter Two -
Black pulses shoot our way, one aiming straight for my torso. I twist, and it narrowly misses my stomach, singeing some of the white feathers on the edge of my wings. Another pulse careens at Michael, aimed straight for his back. I twist my ax and deflect it, watching as it splatters against the hard metal surface. A demon runs for me, and I jump, kicking at its knee. With a sickening crack, it bends into an unnatural position, and I watch as it mends itself while the demon presses forward. Its black eyes assess me as it charges in my direction. I spin, swing my ax, and push it out in the direction of the demon, creating a massive gash across its stomach. Again, black demon blood sprays everywhere. The stench is atrocious, and my skin feels sticky. I can't wait to wash this off me.
As I fight off the demons and work behind Michael's back to keep them away from him, I think about the gatekeeper and wonder why he brought the second lot of demons to us in that malicious special delivery. Then it occurs to me: perhaps he was the one who dropped off the first lot of demons as bait, waiting for us to come.
Our history with him has been long. We were the first archangels he met when he was not much older than a boy. He was in the process of changing and developing his gatekeeper form and status, still under constant observation by a greater demon to see if he would fulfill the role of the gatekeeper successfully. He was out to prove himself, causing enough turmoil that we followed his destruction. He hadn't seen an angel before, and we had never seen the likes of him. It was an eventful meeting, and one where we stopped his destruction of that town—a feat he has held against us since that day and will hold against us for the rest of his time. These days, he doesn't do most of the dirty work of causing destruction among humans. He passed his assessment and is now the portal keeper, the gatekeeper between hell and earth. In his new role, he delivers the demons who will do the dirty work.
I slice down more demons then spin briefly to check on Michael. He is the great archangel, protector of the humans. It is because of this that we are the main ones who have to defeat the demons. The gatekeeper doesn’t fight us anymore. Instead, he brings the demons up from hell. Often, he says he is following instructions from his master, but we have never been sure. Perhaps it is both his revenge and also him passionately following instructions to get his revenge.
I slice another demon with my angelically blessed ax, reducing the four demons surrounding Michael before diving in and helping him defeat the other three. The angelic blades of the sword and the ax rip through their skin, sever limbs, and deliver unhealable wounds. This is effective, but the only relief we’ll have from their onslaught is finishing them off.
A wounded demon dives at me and sinks his teeth into my arm. I grit my teeth to stop a yell of pain escaping and knock it on the head with my fist. It releases its grip.
A cry fills the air, and I spin to seek the cause. I see Michael pinned to the ground by several demons. Even though it is right before my eyes, I have trouble believing it. I only turned from him for a moment, and rarely does Michael become overtaken by demons. I fling away the demon that dug its teeth into me, swipe it with my blade, and charge to Michael, beating off the demons and decapitating them in one fell swoop. The ax clunks on each neck, and I kick the bodies away before I bend down to Michael. He is weak from their touch, yet I can see his spirit is still fighting. I was stupid to turn my back on him. Their numbers are low, but it was a mistake. Somehow, they got to him.
Footsteps approach from behind, and I jump to my feet, spinning with my ax. I move forward, swinging it like a pendulum at the demons. They retreat but don't seem confident in their actions. I can see that they want to come forward, and they've been commanded to do so, but they do not wish to face certain death.
They are down to the last three.
Raphael, I call telepathically. Raphael, Michael needs you. Come. He needs healing.
Raphael appears at my side as soon as I think the words, a cloud of green forming into the angel of healing. His long green gown flows to the ground, and his pale-green wings fold down his back. Shoulder-length black hair frames his pale face, and his green eyes fill with worry as he gazes at Michael.
“What happened?” Ra
phael asks as he darts toward Michael. He runs his healing hands over Michael's body's surface, feeling where he needs the healing. They hover over his stomach, then he places his hands on Michael, injecting healing light into him.
I start speaking right away. “We were ambushed. We went to investigate a problem that was reported to do with humans, but when we arrived, there were approximately twenty demons there. We managed to kill them all, but as soon as we did, just as we slew our last one, the gatekeeper arrived and brought thirty more through. It's my fault. I shouldn't have turned my back on him. We were down to the last few, and I thought he'd be fine.”
“You must not beat yourself up, Zacharias. I'm sure you did all you could.”
“But I should have done better.” My voice fills with anger and frustration directed at myself. “I should be able to protect him better than that.”
“Michael is a strong warrior, Zacharias. Stronger than all of us. I'm sure he will not feel the same. They must have weakened him by luck. It is the only way they could have gotten to him.”
“I still should've been stronger. I should've been more assertive. I can't believe this has happened. I must train to ensure it never happens again.”
The healing angel studies me with serious eyes. “You are a good warrior. And you did protect him. But nobody is perfect.”
“I don't want to hear that. I am the protector of the Archangel Michael, who is the protector of all humankind. I must be able to protect him. It is my duty, and the human race depends on it. If it weren't for Michael, humanity would almost be wiped out by now.”