“You might have magical powers to make things easier, but my people conquered the world on people power and technology alone. You need me, you need my people. You have lived so long in the shadows that you are afraid. You envy Humanity’s ever present courage and resilience. We traversed the world with no magic, we venture into the unknown time and time again. We have shaken off the Angels’ shackles on our own accord, and you hate that.”
Light burst from her chest, illuminating the darkness. But she barely noticed that she was lighting up the darkness. But she did see faces in the darkness, a mob of faces, a faceless pack working as one to tear her apart. It reminded her very strongly of the media.
It made her more certain of herself “I have been chosen by the Goddess to rule my nation and to revitalise and resurrect my empire. You are living in shadows but crave the light. For once in your lives, you want to live in the open, to walk down the streets as you are, free from Angelic persecution. You want, no you need, to be part of my empire, and yet you would have me beg for your assistance. You would make me feel inferior for my lack of magic, but that has never held back Humanity. We rise every time we fall. Brigid is the patron of my empire, and she is your last surviving Goddess, but that does not automatically grant you a place in the new world order.
You have to fight and work for what you want. If you want any place in my empire you must work for it, do not try and scare me into granting it. I am the empress, and you need to be a part of my empire. Prove your worth to me and you can hold your heads high in an Angel free Britain.”
Heat flooded her heart, pressure started to build, there was a ringing in her ears, and her sense went spiralling. There was light and darkness, heat and biting cold, she couldn’t make sense of anything anymore. Then something exploded out of her chest, there was fire, ice, lightning, wind, dirt, clouds and green lights. She stared at it wide eyed then she passed out.
“It is done.”
“Yes, Avalon is now officially an Angel free zone. I wonder how long until the Angel Fire covers the skies.”
“Not long I imagine, though only time will tell. But now we are safe from the Wrath of Heaven.”
“I wouldn’t say that, but we are shielded from them. Remember Sorcha the Angels play by a different set of rules, whatever they did to themselves is unique and unknown. Their powers and capabilities are beyond our current understandings. Oh, we know what they’ve done but not what they’re capable of. But at least the lines have been drawn, and we have our weapons out.”
“You think Victoria is a weapon against Heaven?”
Brigid shook her head “Not against Heaven, against the world. It is time for change.”
“And for rebirth. What has been will be again. The Empire will be resurrected as will many extinct species. Hera has resurrected the Phoenixes, and there are rumours of two new Daemon species in America.
“It is the era for new discoveries.” She reached down and picked up Victoria. She carried her over to the waiting car and placed her in the back seat. She smiled down at her with pride, she had done better against the Fae than any mortal ever had before. She was shaping up to be more than she had ever hoped for, she had chosen well. She had only just been exposed to the Fae but already her lips held a tinge of green. She would be extremely powerful if it was showing already.
She caught Cathair in her gaze when she stepped back out the car “You make sure you treat her right, if you break her heart then I will condemn you to Hell. Aisling you will teach her how to use her magic, it will be growing in leaps and bounds. You will both use your glamour and learn to live in her world. She is the single most important person in these entire isles, do I make myself clear?
The nodded sullenly, their lips turned red, and their green parts of their hair turned brown. They lost their ethereal glow but maintained that unique beauty. They bowed to their mother and their Goddess before climbing into the car.
Brigid and Sorcha hid their smiles while they watched the two royals. Their resentment was thick in the air.
Sorcha sniggered as she hugged Brigid farewell “this will do them well, I fear we have been out of touch with Humanity too long. I doubt many of us could pass as Humans in this age. She glanced around as the nobles and guards started to alight into fairy lights again. Even the fog was starting to tear and drift. “What of you Brigid? Where are you off to?”
“India. You’ve given me an idea, and I have a mess to try and sort out, especially with Pakistan erupting into civil war. I fear the Arch Angels have come to play in Pakistan, it certainly explains the eruption of religious hatred in the region. The same madness is threatening to burn through India and if the Angels truly are involved there will be none of my followers left. I cannot allow this to happen, Kali gave me the last of her powers to protect India. I have a sacred duty to protect it.”
“May Gaia be with you.”
“I hope so, she’s the only one more powerful than the Angels. If only she could awake from her slumbers, our problems would be over. Farewell, my friend and may the fates be with you.” Then she was gone.
Sorcha walked over to the car and put her head through the window “You will stay with her until I recall you. You heard the Goddess’ demands, do not draw her ire.” Then she disappeared as the wind tore the fog apart and the whole airport came to life again.
The two royals sulked in the back as Victoria’s staff resumed moving as though nothing had happened and they were not completely new. He wanted to spar with someone, she wanted to blast something to smithereens. Here they were stuck in the Human world, pretending to be Humans. What was worse, was that they had to look after a child while the whole Fae world was changing.
Chapter 31
Sariel jumped down from Jörmungandr’s neck, who was still glowing slightly. Her boots crunched on the crumbling pavers that formed the ruin of a road that led out of the swamps to the gate of Dis. She looked down at herself in disgust, she was absolutely covered in blood. It took her several attempts to clean herself off, her powers were worn out from unwinding Gabriel’s Curse.
She patted him affectionately on the neck, sending a wave of goodwill into him. He was still fragile and probably would be for a long time, but for the first time in his life he had a taste of freedom. He also had a companion, Python was curled up beside him, both lost in the first peaceful dreams they had had in millennia.
She watched them hoping nothing would be so foolish as to attack them, even without their Demon Curse they were extremely dangerous. She was worried what she may have unleashed, but she could not allow Gabriel’s cruel torment to continue.
It felt right to undo Gabriel’s Curse. How could it not when the poor souls were so tortured and tattered? It did, however, make her fear what Gabriel would do to her when she found out that she was the one who had undone her Curses.
She turned to face the nearest gate of Dis, somewhat disappointed at its plainness. The gate was not particularly wide, six carriages could ride abreast which was probably quite large, but she was used to the grandeur of Heaven.
She had at least thought that Hell would be on a similar scale to Heaven if not in appearance. The Gates of Heaven had been made of gold, ivory and platinum while these gates appeared to be made from nothing but plain iron. While Heaven’s gates were ornate and intricate, these were simplistic but functional. She wondered if they contained spells. The gates of Heaven were open to the sky, these were crowned by thick and menacing walls that had a touch of erosion.
Atop the battlements, she spied the familiar shapes of the Furies though twisted by Hell’s Curse. They were truly terrifying, their feather wings twisted into Demon wings, long bloody talons in place of fingers. They seemed shorter, more predatory. To top it off they were bathed in flames.
Next to them towered a serpent woman, with a writhing mass of snakes for hair. Even from this distance her eyes burned with Hellfire. She had normal looking arms that gripped the battlements as she stared down.
All alo
ng the wall top were Demons who had once been Angels. Their anorexic bodies were black, red or grey, having matching tattered membranous wings. How many wings they had depended on what they had once been. Horns grew from their heads, spines covered their shoulders and wing joints, they all had spikes on the ends of their tails and instead of fingers they had claws or talons. These were what had become of the Angels who had stood with Lucifer.
They were what she might become if she faltered.
“Send out the Guardian” called a harsh, sibilant voice, it didn’t sound natural. No mortal could have made such a noise, it could only have come from the serpent woman.
The portcullis started to rise, screeching and groaning the entire way as showers of rock and dust fell. It was followed by deathly silence. Even those on the battlements were silent.
Then she heard claws scraping on rock and the rasp of scales.
She unsheathed her swords, the action comforting her. Then she waited.
Out of the gate walked a Greater Demon. He radiated power and moved with a deadly fluid grace. At first glance he appeared similar to a monitor lizard, even having the same swinging walk. His long tail swept back and forth behind him, tipped in a ball of empowered metals that could harm immortals.
He stopped and stood up on his hind legs, towering over twice her height. He was muscular and yet she had a feeling he would be even stronger than he looked. His face vaguely resembled the Angel he once had been, though with much blunter features. Long red-metallic teeth poked out from his gums, his claws were the same metal. His skin was beige coloured with red marks running all over his body in intricate symbols. He even had strange red appendages that reminded her of dreadlocks, though made of scales. Even his six vestigial wings were red, they were thin and serpentine. He wasn’t flying anywhere.
He turned his blood red eyes towards her, his pupils were but large vertical slits. He closed his eyes as he held out one of his paws. Blood pooled from his paw as a long red spear grew out of it. With his other paw, he clutched it with proficiency. The bleeding paw he shook, splattering blood between them.
He adjusted into the guard position, she mimicked his stance with her own two blades. So this was to be a weapons fight, which was some small comfort. Her magic was still recovering.
Jeering rained down from above when she didn’t instantly attack. But she remembered Nemesis’ teachings, let them make the first move. It gave you slightly more time to analyse their fighting style, not much but it could be just enough.
He brought his spear swinging down towards her which she easily darted out of the way of before swinging her swords in front of her to block his uppercut. Silence fell upon the watchers, there was rarely anyone who could survive the first attack.
He started to circle her, and she moved with him, watching his walk and the movement of his muscles. She had long learned that they showed intent even before they had consciously decided to attack. Sure enough, she dodged or blocked his few probing jabs. She realised he was testing her.
Then his tail swung at her while he stabbed forward with his spear where she was dodging to. She avoided his tail but was nearly impaled upon his spear. Damn she had forgotten about the tail and had been unprepared for it. A foolish mistake.
She continued to dart and dodge around his spear thrusts and tail swipes with ease once she realised his tail was a dangerous weapon. However when she darted under his spear, his spare paw slashed across her chest, she had forgotten yet another weapon. His claws dug deep, drawing silver blood before the wounds healed over.
He stopped and raised his claws to his mouth, his long tongue snaking out to lick the blood off.
Pissed off she stabbed in with both her swords, causing him to scramble backwards but he had underestimated her speed and skill. As she stabbed, she spun inwards, raising her swords. They battered against his spear with the distinctive clang of metal striking metal. But with practised skill she used one of her swords to follow through, as the first sword struck the spear the second stabbed forward to his exposed belly.
He darted backwards howling as black blood poured from the wound before it slowly healed over. He had definitely been Divine before his Curse. Most likely an Elder Angel, but possibly a demigod or minor God. That would explain his useless wings.
He rushed towards her, using his spear and tail to trap her swords while he pushed forward with his weight. She somersaulted over him, stabbing him in the shoulder as she passed over. As soon as she landed she spun around, slashing with her swords catching him across his wings, severing four of the creepy limbs. He roared his fury striking out with his tail, again and again, driving her backwards to the water’s edge.
Then she struck back, spinning towards him, her two swords swinging at him in paired upper and undercuts driving him back until he was against the wall. He swung down with his tail, smashing against her swords. She jumped backward to avoid being knocked out.
They resumed circling each other, both were surprised at the other’s skill. She was actually enjoying the challenge of the fight, then he spoiled it by using magic.
A blast of red magic exploded against her shields. Thankfully they had not been depleted despite her magical efforts. She glared at him as she raised her hand, it was glowing green. Vines jumped out from the ground, wrapping around his limbs and throat. He tried to fight off her magic, but like everything else in Hell he had severely underestimated her powers.
She wasn’t fully aware of it, but her own phenomenal powers were increased by her affinity to Chaos, as well as supplemented by Nyx and Gaia as well as all the Demons she had freed.
She drove him to his knees as she walked forward. Her powers flowed over him, but as it did, it told her something different. This was not Gabriel’s doing this was Michael’s, and it was extremely strong. What on earth was Michael hiding in Hell?
She sent surge after surge of her powers down into the Demon, watching in fascination as section by section the Curse was peeled off of him. First of all his eyes changed from glowing blood-red to beautiful violet. Then his strange hair-like appendages separated into strands of shoulder-length black hair. His vestigial wings started to grow black feathers, ever so slowly. From around his eyes the scales started turning into pale white skin, and as it did so, his facial structure readjusted.
She gasped when his face had completely changed, he looked disturbingly like Michael, though with subtle differences. In fact, he looked even more like Thanatos or Azrael. Unlike either of them though he had striking red lips, with a slight purple tinge.
This could only be her father, Samael.
She faltered, shocked beyond reasoning. The Curse started snapping straight back, crawling up his neck. She fought back with her magic, struggling to send more into him. There seemed to be a limit to how much she could throw against the Curse at a time.
The Curse continued to be stripped away revealing the pale skin of his neck and shoulders, they were liberally covered in black symbols. The same symbols that covered her legs. There was no denying that this was her father.
She stepped forward and held his chin in one hand, she looked into his eyes watching as they slowly gained lucidity.
“Samael”
His lips twisted up ever so slightly before he replied “Sariel” His teeth were surprisingly white and more surprisingly black symbols covered the inside of his mouth. He really was the Angel of Death. His violet eyes were exactly like hers and the rest of the family. They flicked back and forth absorbing the features of her face.
His bulging muscular neck gave way to a more slender Angel neck. The overzealous Demon muscling gave way to far more natural Angelic muscles. She realised that even his physique was the halfway step from Thanatos’ slim frame to Michael’s more muscular one. The spear dropped to the ground as his arms twisted. What fascinated her the most, other than the spreading wave of pale and black skin, was the transformation of his hands. They shrank, the claws seeming to melt and flow back into his body leaving behind
benign violet fingernails.
He started flapping his wings as they returned to their former glory, and what a glory they were. They were jet black with a lustre that any Angel would envy, they even had a noticeable violet iridescence.
The scales were shrinking down his torso and stomach revealing his lean, muscular physique all the more prominent because of his continuing death wards. She was beginning to understand some of the stories about him. He was a striking man that would draw the attention of men and women alike. It seemed her mother wasn’t the only inherently seductive parent she had.
He reached out with one of his hands cupping her face, where their skin connected both their Angelic glows increased. “Beautiful just like your mother” Her breath caught at the compliment. She had always thought herself rather plain by Divine standards. But her mother was an acclaimed beauty among Angels and even Gods.
He let go of her and let out a fearful Demonic roar as a shaft of sunlight speared down from above. She stepped back in confusion, and she wasn’t the only one to shy away from the sunlight. Sunlight was unnatural in Hell. It was a realm of shadows and ever twilight. It bleached Samael of all colour except his black marks. All her spells and progress was instantly cut off, the backlash sending her sprawling backwards. The Curse regrew in earnest, reclaiming what it had lost.
His face twisted in fury, but he caught her in his gaze “I am proud of you Sariel, set us free.” Then he was gone, absorbed up in a final blaze of sunlight.
Then it was gone, and she was left extremely night blind.
She heard hushed whispering from atop the wall and once again the grating noise of the portcullis being raised.
Sure enough, she heard the familiar sound of scales scraping the ground and the clip of talons. But there were also noises behind her. The swish of water being broken followed by something hauling itself out of the water. Then there was another set of reptilian noises.
She wiped her vision clean with her magic, raising, even more, shields. There was the twang of bows releasing a volley her shields easily deflected. But as they continued fire blossomed across her shields as the Fallen Angels savagely attacked her, probing and assessing, searching for any weakness. Their twisted powers surrounded her, competing with each other to eat away at her shields. Two heavy bodies slammed against her outer shields before sliding down.
The Angels' Pride Page 47