The Hunchback

by Regine Abel

  “I just found you again…” she said, choking up.

  I cupped her beloved face in my hands and caressed her cheeks with my thumbs. “I should have died years ago, but I’m still here. It isn’t my time yet,” I said with a gentle voice, pushing my anger deeper down. “I, too, have just found you again, as well as my soulmate. I will not go down without a fight. You both have given me too much to live for.”

  “But Kwazeem—”

  “I will not be deterred, Mother,” I interrupted, gently but firmly. “Go on, please call the Tear for me.”

  She embraced me tightly, and her warm tears dampened the fabric of my shirt. I allowed it for a few moments. Thankfully, Nan spared me from pushing her away by releasing me. It broke my heart that I should have reentered her life only to possibly say my final goodbye. Still, if this was to be my end, I was glad to have seen her one last time and let her know that I loved her.

  My imps returned from their foray in the woods seconds before the Tear arrived. They refused to be left behind. To my shame, it comforted me not to be alone in these last moments. After one last gut-wrenching embrace with Nan, I entered the Tear, carrying nothing but one of my staves. Thankfully, the autopilot took care of everything as I didn’t know how to navigate one of these vessels.

  A whirlwind of emotions coursed through me. Anger, fear, trepidation, and a sense of injustice all raged within me. And yet, beneath all of that, a strange sense of peace and acceptance kept me grounded. Despite the High Seraph’s declaration on the streamed message, I still refused to believe Esmeralda’s Light was gone. We’d been together the morning after we’d made love. Wouldn’t I have felt its complete absence within her?

  Halfway through the journey towards Paris, a flock of Elohim flew out of Elysium, all of them converging on my position. They’d probably been scanning all transports headed in and out of Paris to detect one transporting a Fallen. Despite the fear knotting my insides, I couldn’t help marveling at their majesty as they flew in formation before surrounding my small vessel. Their powerful wings flapped almost in tandem with each other’s. Their sole garment, a leather kilt, hid nothing of their rippling arm and chest muscles that screamed of superhuman power. Each one carried a magnificent staff or lance. And yet, the petty thought that mine rivaled—if not surpassed—theirs still managed to cross my mind in this dire moment.

  A couple of the Archangels turned to look at me through the windshield of the Tear. Their glowing pale blue eyes shifted to red to express their aggression before they turned back to look ahead. My imps whimpered in fear and curled up against me. Trying to rein in my own sense of dread as my vessel began its descent into Paris, I absentmindedly caressed their heads to soothe them.

  The High Seraph and his small following flew out of the temple. They landed on the plaza only seconds before my Tear touched ground at its eastern edge near the stairs to the landing pad. Pushing down the terror that threatened to cripple me, I embraced the seething fury burning within me in order to face the challenge ahead.

  The Angels and Archangels surrounded my vessel, leaving a single path towards Phoebus. He stood in the center of the plaza, holding his staff firmly planted on the ground, and my woman restrained behind him. Despite being clearly intimidated by so much hostility, my imps settled on my shoulders and clung to my neck. I couldn’t tell if it was more out of fear of being left behind, out of solidarity, or a mix of both.

  As soon as I stepped out of the Tear, the auras of the Elohim slapped me like a hundred hammers. I’d never stood so close to one of them before. For the first time, my Fallen nature—the Light Eater in me—awoke with dizzying force. My mouth watered with a rabid hunger to feast on all that raw energy. And yet, the power that Esmeralda had awakened in me, and which had begun to dim in her absence, also reawakened, surging forth, seeking what my body perceived as kindred essence.

  Destabilized by these conflicting emotions, I looked at the Archangels towering over me with confusion. A similar expression temporarily replaced the murderous fury on their faces as I marched before them to meet the High Seraph. The crowd that had gathered around the plaza—although keeping at a safe distance from the Elohim’s aura—muttered angrily upon seeing me. Some of the insults about my hybrid status and my hump, and the curses flung at me stung. Wearing a form-fitting shirt only emphasized my deformity. But knowing a battle awaited me, a loose garment would have only further impeded my already slim chances.

  Despite the brooding expression on Phoebus’s stunning face, I didn’t miss the slight stiffening of his broad shoulders as I entered the radius of his aura. Even more than with the others, the High Seraph’s power called to me. However, it was the Light of my mate I sought. I couldn’t latch onto it with so much divine power surrounding me, muddling things. And yet, I could feel her.

  “Kwazeem!” Esmeralda called out, looking distressed that I came.

  Seeing her leashed to the Well’s tower tore an outraged screech from Victus and Lazarus. All fears forgotten, my imps launched off of my shoulders and dashed towards her. Arrius and Magnus—Phoebus’s two generals standing guard on each side of my mate—made as if to stop them but the High Seraph raised his hand in an arresting gesture, ordering his men to let the imps proceed.

  They each landed on one of her shoulders, then kissed her cheeks before glaring at the collar. Grabbing it with their tiny claws, they pushed their magic into it. In seconds, the collar unclasped, releasing my mate. Arrius gasped in shock at seeing a divine restraint so easily discarded. Victus’s head jerked towards him, and he hissed in a menacing way. Never breaking eye contact with the Elohim general, Victus glared at him and hugged Esmeralda’s neck in a way that said ‘don’t ever mess with my girl again.’

  Free at last, Esmeralda tried to run towards me but, lightning fast, the generals crossed their staves in front of her, blocking the way. She appeared to want to force the issue, but I shook my head, indicating for her to stay put. She hesitated before reluctantly conceding. Until I had a better sense of what would befall me, I wanted to keep her out of harm’s way.

  From the corner of my eye, I noticed Frollo’s shuttle making a swift approach towards the city. But I dismissed it, having bigger issues to deal with right now. I stopped my advance a few meters in front of the High Seraph, feeling small in his towering presence and under his scrutinizing stare. I hated not knowing what he was thinking. Although still clearly angry, his scowling expression was lacking the seething fury and the contempt he’d projected in his message.

  He half turned to look at Esmeralda and gestured towards me. “So, this is the mate you chose?”

  “Yes!” she shouted proudly, lifting her chin with defiance. The crowd erupted in angry shouts, showering both her and me with insults. “It is MY choice!” Esmeralda yelled this time at the would-be mob. “I have filled your Well, as was my duty. That my performance exceeded your wildest hopes and dreams doesn’t make me your slave or some broodmare for you to dictate who is allowed to be my consort. I have FREELY chosen this man. I pursued him when he tried to stay away for my sake. And now you are putting us on trial for exercising our most basic right of free choice?”

  Pride and love filled my heart to thus be so unequivocally and publicly claimed by my mate. Her words seemed to shame a few among the crowd, but too many remained hung up on the cost to themselves of Esmeralda following her heart.

  “You are not being tried for freely choosing your mate,” Phoebus said to Esmeralda in a stern voice. He turned to look at me and pointed an accusing finger towards me. “HE is here to face justice for ruining you. Snuffing out a Vestal’s Divine Light and destroying her ability to share it with the world is a crime punishable by death.”

  “I have not snuffed out her Light,” I snapped, tiring of this discussion.

  From the corner of my eye, I noticed Frollo skirting around the wall of Archangels to take position by the edge of the plaza. Tension plain to see on his face, his eyes flicked between Esmeralda, Phoebus, and me.
But he had nothing to fear; I had no intention of betraying him.

  “Yes, it is dimmed, but it isn’t gone,” I asserted with conviction.

  “You would lie to save yourself?” Phoebus asked, his tone hardening, although he had spoken the words more as a statement. “None of us can find even the slightest spark within her. She’s empty, completely drained of Vesta’s blessing.”

  “If you feel nothing, then maybe you’re not as in tune with the divine as you think,” I snarled.

  “You dare?” Phoebus whispered, eyeing me with disbelief.

  Frollo frowned and imperceptibly shook his head. I ignored him. I was done with these games. The High Seraph hadn’t summoned me here to have a pleasant chat, slap me on the wrist, and send me on my way. There was no point dragging this on.

  “I dare and double-dare. I have come to face your justice. But, whatever the outcome, you will release my mate at once and never again hold her against her will, like an animal. As per your own laws, none shall ever harm, coerce, or otherwise mistreat a Vestal.”

  “Too bad you didn’t remember that yourself,” Phoebus deadpanned. Lifting his staff, he gave it a spin, his gaze never wavering from mine. “Defeat me, and you get to walk away from here with your life. Fail, and you will face my justice.”

  Blocking out Esmeralda’s distressed face, I focused on my opponent. Calling up on my years of training—although limited to holographic opponents—I braced for what was to come. I had no illusions that I could defeat the leader of the divine horde who had walked out victorious of countless battles over the past century, but I wouldn’t go down easy.

  With dizzying speed, Phoebus rushed me. Our staves clashed with the deafening sound of thunder as I parried his attack. The crowd roared its approval. Like vultures, they wanted some bloodshed—my blood spilled for their amusement and revenge. Lightning erupted where our weapons collided. My arm muscles trembled from the force of the impact. But to my surprise—and his—I didn’t stumble back. Standing my ground, I retaliated with a quick flurry of blows which he easily parried, although it put him on the defensive.

  Turning the tables on me, Phoebus performed a roundhouse kick that I avoided by stumbling back. However, flowing into the rotation, he slammed the end of his staff against the side of my ankle, knocking me off my feet. I fell on my back with a loud thump. My hump violently striking the reinforced glass dome covering the Well sent a sharp pain down my spine. Grinding my teeth through pain, I barely managed to raise my staff in front of me to block a savage blow he was bringing down on me.

  The crowd erupted in feral shouts, encouraging the High Seraph to obliterate me and crush my bones. The bloodthirsty cry didn’t manage to bury Esmeralda’s fearful shout. But I tuned them all out. If I was to survive this day, I couldn’t afford any distractions.

  After blocking a couple more of his attacks, I thrust the tip of my staff at him with all my strength, forcing him to back away. It gave me a small window to roll back onto my feet, spinning my weapon around me at the same time to keep him from knocking me back down before I’d regained my bearings.

  We entered a battle dance, cycling through parry, offense, defense, feint, and dodge. Realizing that Phoebus wasn’t going for a quick kill knocked me for a loop. He was clearly trying to inflict pain, but no mortal wounds. Was he trying to punish me before going for the kill? Was he merely putting on a show for those in attendance? Was he testing my skills?

  Too many questions without answers, not that they truly mattered. But the more we battled, and the more the power that had gone back to sleep within me once Esmeralda left came back to life. I couldn’t say if my mate’s presence was provoking it or the heat of combat, but I welcomed it. As it coursed through my body, my strength and speed grew steadily. Instead of shocking Phoebus, a feral glimmer sparked in his glowing eyes, and a vicious smile stretched his lips.

  He’d been waiting for this. He had known this would happen.

  Out of the blue, lightning formed around his left hand, and he launched it at me. Taken completely by surprise, I stumbled back, not knowing how to parry this. The bolt hit me square in the chest with brute force. The impact hurt like a physical blow, and made me slide a couple of meters backward. But to my shock, it didn’t knock me off my feet and didn’t electrocute me. The electric energy just glided over me like water on an oily surface.

  An animalistic roar rose from my throat as something snapped inside of me. My power unleashed like a caged beast breaking free. Lightning erupted from my fingertips, and electric coils wrapped around my arms. The crowd gasped, and their heckling hushed. The bloody trouncing they had expected the Fallen hunchback to receive at the hands of their divine ruler now no longer seemed like an inevitable outcome.

  Our surroundings blurred as I moved at dizzying speed, Phoebus meeting me blow for blow. It didn’t make sense, and yet it felt as if we were too well-matched for one to get an edge over the other. Well… as long as he didn’t use his wings. Just when hope began to blossom in my heart that maybe, just maybe, I would survive this day, the bond between Esmeralda and me reformed at last.

  Timid at first, her Divine Light soared as mine rushed towards her core through our link. The joy that swept through my heart and soul distracted me for a split second. But it had been long enough for Phoebus’s staff to connect solidly with the side of my jaw, stunning me. Before I could react, a violent swipe at the back of my left shoulder sent me sprawling onto my stomach. The panicked sound of Esmeralda crying out my name drowned in the explosion of agony that nearly robbed me of consciousness. I all but tore my vocal chords to shreds screaming when Phoebus’s staff collided with the base of my hump. My eyes rolled to the back of my head, and spasms shook my legs as I fought the darkness attempting to engulf me.

  Grabbing me by the nape, the High Seraph, yanked me back, forcing me onto my knees. My body having ceased to respond to my brain, I couldn’t fight back. He tore off my shirt in one powerful gesture, baring my hump back. Through the black dots dancing before my eyes, I watched the beautiful face of my mate drenched in tears as she screamed my name. The two generals held her back as she tried in vain to come to me.

  An Archangel approached us, holding a gleaming sword in his hand, which he gave to Phoebus. I didn’t know what the High Seraph had done with his staff, not that it mattered. In a moment, I would be dead. I only wished Esmeralda didn’t have to witness it.

  Forgive me, my love.

  Chapter 16

  Esmeralda

  Something snapped inside me at the sight of the sword being brought to Phoebus. I was going to fake fainting to free myself of the generals’ hold when both imps attacked them, clawing their faces. Without thinking, I threw myself at my staff. It was lying on the ground, two meters away from me, where Phoebus had discarded it after ripping it out of my hand. My heart broke watching Victus get swiped by Arrius backhanding him, and Lazarus get zapped by a lightning blast from Magnus. Their little bodies flopped limply to the ground.

  With a war cry, I spun around and struck Arrius twice with the end of my staff in quick succession. Although weaponless, he effortlessly blocked my blows with his forearms. Magnus grabbed me from behind, his huge arms around me immobilizing my own against my body. I threw my head back to head-butt him, but he, too, easily avoided my attack. Despite my combat training, I didn’t stand a chance against two of the greatest warriors of the Nine Circles.

  In desperation, I called onto the Divine Light I had felt resurging within me. Before Phoebus struck him down, Kwazeem had been fueling it, enhancing me again as he had in the past. I had hoped to get it a bit stronger than the tiny spark it currently was for fear it would fizzle when I first attempted to reveal it. But there was no more time.

  Invoking all the power that I could muster, I unleashed a blast of ergokinetic energy at Phoebus. With both hands busy, one holding Kwazeem up on his knees and the other wielding the sword, he couldn’t dodge or parry the attack. It hit him square in the chest. I didn’t know wh
at I had expected, probably for him to stumble back the way Kwazeem had when Phoebus had struck him with a lightning bolt, but not what actually happened.

  Phoebus stared stoically at his chest where coils of electricity slithered over his chiseled muscles before fading away. He looked back up at me, an odd expression on his face.

  “You cannot harm an Elohim with Divine Light. We are made of it,” Phoebus deadpanned before turning his gaze back to Kwazeem.

  “High Seraph!” Frollo called out just as I opened my mouth to plead for mercy now that my Light had returned. “My guards have informed me of what has occurred in my absence. I came back as soon as possible, but this proceeding had already begun. However, I and everyone else in attendance have just witnessed the Anointed Vestal Esmeralda use her Divine Light.”

  I held my breath, realizing he was fighting for us.

  “She has,” Phoebus conceded.

  “It is common for Vestals to burn out after a Festival, which visibly is what happened in this instance,” Frollo continued cautiously. “This hybrid can therefore not be tried for defiling a Vestal as clearly that wasn’t the case. I also understand that he flew into Paris from the Godswood upon your demand. This means he didn’t violate the trespassing laws forbidding Fallen to enter the city.”

  “That is also correct,” Phoebus said, his face unreadable.

  Although a little groggy, the imps stirring back to life struck me as a sign that the tide was turning. The Praetor was getting through to him.

  “The Vestal is free to mate with whom she pleases. As the city’s transport logs will show that she has previously traveled to the Godswood, likely to meet with him so that he wouldn’t violate our laws, I am not sure what he is being tried for. This man has committed no crime.”

  “You’re right. He is innocent of any crime,” Phoebus said before his face hardened. “But I will finish what I have started.”