The Pentagram Child: Part 1 (Afterlife Saga Book 5)

by Stephanie Hudson

  And speaking of troublesome little blondes I knew any minute I would be receiving yet another panicked call from my once King and someone I had pledged my loyalty to. So how I found myself back here after the part he played in my demise was down to one core point…The Electus.

  Of course I was rational enough to know the reasons why he did what he did in keeping the spear tip from me but still bitter enough not to give a fuck. Or at least this was what I told myself and also at least finding comfort in the knowledge that Draven had also been fucked over by the Fates just as I had.

  “Ah just as predicted.” I said to myself as my phone started blasting out Rage Against the Machine’s, ‘Killing In The Name’, which I found very apt for my current mission. I rolled my eyes to the Heavens I still loathed before swiping across the name Dickhead that I had Dom stored as a contact in my phone.

  “I am standing outside Afterlife.” I said in answer to what I knew would be yet another demand as to my location.

  “Any signs of her yet?” Dom barked at me from the other side.

  “I have tracked them to this point but as you know I will not be granted access into the Temple…unless…?” I left the question unasked and I smirked when I heard the frustrated growl coming from a Being I knew was close to the edge of losing his famous temper. I would have thought for a Being as old as he was that he would have learnt the level of control needed with both great power and position.

  “There is a way in.” He finally said after a few contemplative moments and this time the bastard in me grinned.

  “But of course.”

  “Facing the building walk down the right hand side and you will see an access door, to the right of that is a hidden door above you, get there and call me back.” Dom said petulantly and then hung up.

  “Charming as always.” I said looking at my phone screen and now seeing the new Lamborghini Veneno I had on order. I looked back up at the building and even in the dark I noted how much time the ivy had had to take over the pale stone. I expected to see the mortal line of bodies waiting to get inside and unbeknown to their simple minds a feast for the council I was once a part of. However, this late into the night more souls were resting than not.

  Oh those were the days. Having the essence just walk right up to your door and literally beg for entrance. Although my distaste for the race helped fuel the power that was enforced upon me, I couldn’t help but feel compelled to aid in their survival. This sense of duty was of course renewed since the Fates intervened forcing me to see myself differently and finding that image was mirrored back in the eyes of one blue eyed girl. One mortal girl created to change the course of impending doom. But on a more personal level the one girl who managed to bring me back from the dead sands of time and forced me into the light of the living sea.

  She had done the impossible and given me a peace I hadn’t wanted to have ever admitted I was searching for.

  “Sneaky…very sneaky, my little Keira girl.” I said to myself as I shook my head smiling at the thought of my people’s Chosen One. The possibility of the fate of the world resting on the shoulders of one feisty little blonde from Liverpool was a thought that always had me shaking my head with a knowing smile on my face.

  I could just imagine what it must have been like for her back in those naive days of innocence. The first time she had taken these steps back when she had no clue of the hunters closing in on her heels. Two Kings that each wanted separate things but in the end they had become one and the same. It hadn’t taken me long to begin my obsession with the girl and soon that started to override one that had been with me since my rebirth. Because in the end the Fates had decided that my destiny was to follow one path and for a long time I had believed it to be my king but now I knew the truth.

  It was his Chosen One.

  And now it was once again time to save the little bird before someone clipped her wings. So with this new mission in mind I walked to where Dom had told me and with each step I took going back to a time. One that was tainted with bad blood now made pure with the Spear of Longinus embedded beneath my new wings. And it was these wings that I now used to fly up to a small balcony that unbeknown to Dom I already knew about. What I didn’t know however was the words needed to gain access to the building I had once been welcomed into.

  “Call Dickhead.” I commanded to my phone knowing it would be picked up after the first ring.

  “You found the door?” I rolled my eyes at his absurd question and didn’t dignify it with the wasted breath on an answer.

  “To gain entrance it is ‘Persian heat’ in Latin. There is a door at the end of the passageway and level to the top iron hinge is a protruding stone, press it and a direct tunnel will lead you down to the Temple.”

  “I think we still have the small matter of banishment to contend with old friend.” I reminded him with satisfaction.

  “The tunnel’s end brings you out…” He hesitated and then cursed before continuing,

  “By the Gods I can’t believe I am trusting you with this…” He said now cursing himself with the decision he knew he had no choice in making.

  “Tick, tick Dom, time is getting on for our little bird and I doubt your Viking will be able to handle this Viper alone.” I reminded him in a cool voice I was only maintaining through one clenched fist. Really I wanted to roar out at him in my own rage and frustration at knowing someone had her in their grasp.

  “Fuck! Okay it brings you out into the main treasury and there you will find an old friend. I think you will remember what you did last time, so do the same here and it will open a direct route to the Temple. If they are in there, then you might be able to get her out and away from danger before dealing with him.” The tone of his voice told me all I needed to know about Dom trying not only to keep control of his Demon side but also the panicking side of his Angel.

  I never understood just how conflicting it was living with the two forces converged inside you. It was like trying to keep two tyrant dictators from going to war with their armies ready at the border.

  “I would have thought you would have been here by now.” I knew a low growl would be the first thing I would hear before he answered me and I didn’t bother to supress the grin that would arise at every opportunity taken to rile my old friend and enemy.

  “NOW LISTEN TO…” Dom’s voice was cut off as his calmer brother must have intervened given the King’s mounting rage.

  “We encountered a new development and therefore had to make a stop at Dublin to visit…”

  “Belphegor.” I said interrupting the most powerful Angel I knew.

  “Yes.” Vincent said and even he couldn’t keep the same disgust from his voice as I had let coat the name.

  “And what did that vile cretin have to offer?” I asked frowning up at the building and letting my irritation grow that I wasn’t yet inside breaking one Nephilim’s fucking neck.

  “He told us of Eveleen’s sons.”

  “And let me guess, Alex Cain by any chance.” I said voicing what now seemed like a blindingly obvious discovery, one that angered me to my core at not unearthing it sooner. The compulsion at the time when seeing him next to my Keira girl was to follow through with one swift and brutal act that would have solved all our current problems. But foolishly Dom thought it best to investigate the asshole first. Well I bet my ordered Veneno that he was beating himself up for that idiotic decision.

  If it had been me there would have been no hesitation in reminding him of some of the more effective ways of torture. Ah but those were the old days. Like the Brazen Bull for example. The size of real bull made of bronze and hollow ready for the victim to be placed inside and once there they were then cooked slowly from the fire blazing beneath them. Oh yes, then even a Nephilim would beg and sing out his secrets in cries of pain.

  I was so deep into my bloody torturing days that I hadn’t realised Vincent was still on the phone until he started speaking again,

  “As we know Belphegor was the one recru
ited to find the Eve descendants and inform…”

  “Yes I know.” I said interrupting him impatiently as I could easily piece together the rest of the family affair without wasting time.

  “So you know what this means?”

  “Yes, I know what this fucking means.” I said letting my irritation known.

  “We will be landing in about an hour’s time…” I heard Dom retake the phone and the last thing he told me was the one thing I had vowed to do till my death,

  “Protect her at all costs.”

  “Always.” Was my curt reply before I hung up the phone. I then placed it back in my pocket and cracked my fists as a way to relieve the mounting tension before turning back to face the door.

  “Persae Calorem” I repeated the Latin for Persian Heat and didn’t have to wait long before the door opened. I folded back my wings drawing them into my body before walking down the narrow passageway. Trust Dom to have a place like this, for I knew it wasn’t just for reasons of another entrance into his home. No, this was purely for spying. I grinned in satisfaction knowing that his paranoia no doubt increased after our little encounter…oh who was I bullshitting, I could have torn the asshole apart that day!

  After following the instructions that even a child could have executed I found myself pushing open a hidden door and the first sight that greeted me made me want to try and kill the bastard all over again.

  “Son of Angel Bitch!” I said as I walked around an old friend indeed. The room I remembered as Dom’s treasury but I ignored the large holes carved out of the bare stone which held artefacts that didn’t interest me. No, the only thing that did was what was once mine and was in fact taken from me. Of course I had my suspicions back then but now having it confirmed made my control slip enough to smash the glass case with one pounding of my fist.

  It shattered around me but by the time the last of the shards skidded to a stop my anger was back under tight control.

  “Caliburnus.” I said its name again like one would speak to a lover and caressed the stone hand with pretty much the same affection. The black blood that constantly flowed down her delicate hand made me frown at the reminder of what it represented or more like who.

  “It’s alright pet, I am back to claim what is mine.” I said taking hold of the sword’s handle and Dom was right, it was like being reunited with an old friend. As soon as it felt its rightful owner take hold once more the Lady of the Lake let go of her charge and the steel blade slid from the deep grooves it had made in her stone flesh. The blood that symbolised my own stopped flowing and I braced knowing what was coming…the test.

  The deceivingly unthreatening hand quickly forgot about the treasure I had reclaimed and snatched out to sink its fingertips into my flesh, drawing now fresh blood. I barely registered the pain as a result of what happens over centuries of living in a brutal world. No, instead of flinching I just let it happen and allowed my blood to travel down to the pool of dark liquid on the floor. Once the first drop hit the rest, the stone fingers peeled themselves back one by one and I was free to pull my arm away from her grasp. I then took a step back feeling my heavy boots crunching on the glass and wanting nothing more than for it to be one Alex Cain’s bones.

  I lifted up the sword to the ceiling so my face was mirrored back in the blade and kissed my own crest forged there.

  “Now let us reunite in the best way old friend and kiss your fine steel in the heart of Nephilim scum.” I said as the Lady of the Lake slid to the side and hidden steps appeared from beneath. And one thought entered my sadistic mind as I took the steps down…

  Lucius the Assassin had come home.

  Keira

  Chapter 42

  Scream Bloody Murder and Raise The Dead.

  “You’re insane if you think this plan of yours will actually work!” I said just wishing I had Frank’s baseball bat in my hand so that when he turned around I had something to back that statement up with. Oh I had no doubt someone would be coming to rescue me but this time thanks to what Alex had said, I was just wishing for anyone but Draven.

  “Insanity only fuels the imagination.” Alex said laughing as he continued spreading jar after jar of what looked like congealed blood around the altar at the top of the Temple. Unfortunately for me though I hadn’t been left to wander round looking for my escape whilst evil villain of the year here had been busy playing lead role in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. No, in fact it seems he was sane enough to remember to tie my hands behind my back and then to tie the end to one of the pillars closest to where he was working on redecorating the place. Maybe he was going for the Jack the Ripper crime scene look.

  “Well in that case you must be tanked up by now.” I said pulling at the rope and feeling it only twist further and burn against my skin. I quickly gave up and looked around the room taking in the grandeur of the place that was being decimated with old blood by Mr Shits and Giggles mental case over there. It was a huge space that had the shiniest marble floor I had ever seen. It mirrored the sky painted on the ceiling above making the floor almost look like a glass sheet lay on the surface of a lake.

  I followed the flame painted pillars around the room and took in the story scenes painted between them, that I now knew were actually not just a war between Heaven and Hell as I originally thought. No, this time I knew it as the War of the Immortals.

  It was funny what knowledge could do to how you viewed the world around you and being thrust deeper into Draven’s world with every breath I took was forever an eye opener. So when I took in the winged Demons fighting Angels on horseback I couldn’t honestly now tell you who were the good guys and who were the bad guys.

  But one thing I did know for sure and that was I could definitely say the last time I was here was considerably better than the first. But having my first dance with Draven to Etta James’ ‘At last’ was better than thinking he was Lucius in a black robe at the time trying to kill me. Which made it totally ironic then that he was the person I was actually seeing right now, sneaking in through a hidden door to no doubt save me…again. And what was with the massive sword looking like Braveheart?

  I saw him do a full body scan before he winked at me and held a finger to his lips to indicate my silence. If it hadn’t been doing the exact opposite of what he asked I would have shouted, ‘Duh, you think?!’ Which I didn’t do for obvious loud reasons. I couldn’t help but notice when he first saw me, the moment of relief I saw in his eyes when he saw I was uninjured. I looked back at Alex to see he was still preoccupied with his little bloody project and it was only now that I could see it was a star inside of a circle, one I now knew was an important Pentagram symbol.

  I jumped when I suddenly felt a hand at my mouth but luckily I managed not to make a noise. I knew it was Lucius at my back and that was true in more ways than one. I felt the slack of my restraints as he untied the rope from first the pillar and then I felt lips at my ear.

  “Now pretty girl, hold still so I don’t cut you.” Lucius whispered and then after a few seconds I started to feel the pressure disappear completely from around my sore wrists. I wanted to hiss in pain as I felt the raw skin being disturbed but bit my lip instead. After one last look at the crazy guy to make sure he was still busy doing crazy things, I turned back to Lucius. He didn’t say anything but nodded behind him for me to follow and we headed to the hidden doorway I’d seen him emerge from. It looked like one that could only be opened from one side as he had propped it open so that we could escape that same way.

  Keeping behind the pillars and out of sight we made our way to the door as quickly as we could and just as Lucius was stepping through behind me that’s when Alex Cain finally caught on.

  “NO!” He bellowed racing towards us and Lucius merely gave him the middle finger as a salute before slamming the door.

  “Won’t he just be able to follow us?” I asked making sure and Lucius’ bad ass grin was answer enough.

  “I must say if you wanted my attention then you should hav
e just asked me on a date.” He said winking at me and grabbing my hand as he passed to pull me along after him.

  “To where, the Devil’s ring?” I said sarcastically referring back to Jared’s private fight club.

  “Umm…not your worst idea pet, we could get you wrestling Angels naked in the mud.” I rolled my eyes but couldn’t help but laugh, mentally thanking him for putting me at ease in a situation I was trying not to panic in.

  “Ha! You wish!”

  “Yes, yes I do.” He said looking over his shoulder and doing another all over body scan, only this time not one out of concern.

  “Ok, so getting back to the matter at hand, we have to stop Alex, he’s planning something insane and he’s the last in the bloodline and…”

  “Calm yourself Keira girl, I know what he intends but soon he will be far too busy with my own plans.”

  “And that is?” I asked knowing I would regret it pretty damn quick and I was right.

  “Simple…I plan to kill him…which is what I should have done at the auction.” He said as if it was the most natural thing in the world and we were discussing the weather.

  “Oh yeah, that would have gone down well… ‘And can I get a bid on this next lot, going cheap thanks to the recent blood splatter damage’…yeah that would have been peachy.” I said making him laugh and it vibrated along the narrow stone tunnel that only barely allowed for Lucius’ height.

  “You never know, it might have increased the value, as I am sure all who meet him want to see the evidence for themselves of his bloody end.”

  “Yeah, I sure know how to pick em.” I said rolling my eyes when he replied,

  “You said it not me, darlin.”

  “So where are we going?” I asked as we’d travelled far enough to come to a door at the end.