Zeriel shook his shoulder. "Jaylen, get up. We have stuff to discuss."
"Go away."
"Don't make me get the water bucket."
"You wouldn't dare." Jaylen listened as Zeriel left the room. A minute later, the footsteps returned.
"One . . . two . . . three."
Jaylen screamed as the icy water soaked through the blankets and covered him. He jumped out of bed and stripped his wet clothes off. "What are you doing? Why would you dump water on me?"
Zeriel doubled over in laughter. "I haven't seen you move that quickly all week."
"You're an ass, Zeriel. Get me a towel. I'm freezing."
"Fine, fine." The angel tossed him a towel then stoked the fire. "You deserved it. Besides, we have to get to your lessons."
"But I'm a paladin now."
"You're a young nobleman. You're the Duke of Ilyan. You can't completely abandon your studies and political affiliations. Don't forget that you are in line for the Vilyron throne."
"Yeah, seventh in line. There is close to zero chance that I'll ever be king."
Zeriel began rummaging through the oak dresser against the wall. "But there's still a chance. You saw what happened during the Eight-Night War. Entire families were slaughtered on the battlefield. What do you think would happen if your family was treated the same way?"
Jaylen only rolled his eyes and dried himself off with a towel. "Oh, dear. What would the kingdom do with a paladin king? I'll tell you what. They would have to go to the eighth man in line for the throne because I am slated to die. Don't forget that, Zeriel. I have to die in The Cleansing to bring back the sun."
"I don't know." Zeriel laid out Jaylen's pants and blue cotton tunic on the bed. "I kind of enjoy the eternal night. It's calming."
"What a horrid thing for an angel to say. You sure you're not Fallen?"
Zeriel glared at him.
"I'm joking. You'd have black wings and not be able to be around my light magic." Jaylen began to dress then searched underneath the bed for his boots. "Do you know any fallen angels? I don't know how you angels work, and you haven't exactly been forthcoming with information about your past in this short week."
"Angels don't gossip."
Jaylen shook his head as he went into the main room of the house and summoned his mage-glow. Then he smelled the strange scent he hadn't smelled in two years. He looked around then spotted them. He stared in shock at the pile of cinnamon buns with cream cheese frosting on a platter in the middle of the table. "Zeriel?"
"Yeah?"
"Did you make these?" Jaylen asked.
"Just for you. I know you love them."
"How? How do you know that?"
"I'm your angel, remember? It's part of my job to know things about you, no matter how trivial the topic. I also know that you haven't had any of these since your mother died. She used to make them for you every morning."
Jaylen gingerly reached out and picked up one of the warm sticky cinnamon buns. As he took a bite, images of his mother filled his mind and made him smile.
"Are they good?"
"Wonderful." He sat down at the table and continued munching on the cinnamon buns. "How did you make them exactly like hers?"
"You're new to this whole angel thing, aren't you?" Zeriel asked as he took a comb to Jaylen's hair. "Didn't the Holy Order explain this to you before the Divinity Trial?"
"No. They wanted to get me knighted as quickly as possible. The priests were afraid that I would end up like my father if they didn't beat those virtues into me quickly."
"When you say beat . . ."
Jaylen scoffed as he tossed his half-eaten cinnamon bun onto the table. "I thought angels knew everything."
"Only the things we choose to learn."
"I'll say this. Joining with an angel was the final step of the trial, and the least painful. Have you heard of the twenty grapevines that the first king of Vilyron offered to Sola as a sign of peace when he begged for her blessing over the kingdom?"
Zeriel sat next to him and poured him a glass of milk. "Of course."
"Did you know that grapevines hurt when you're stripped naked and pinned to the floor of the temple while twenty priests whip you with them?" Jaylen asked, still feeling the haunting pain. "It was all to teach self-control and piety. The same goes for the two weeks of fasting and prayer. Many of the paladins tell me of great awakenings they had during that time and how they actually enjoyed the whippings because it made them feel at one with Sola. I didn't feel that way at all. I felt humiliated and scared. When I cried, the priests tied me to a marble statue of Sola in the courtyard and left me there overnight in the snow. I wasn't supposed to cry. Maybe I didn't get much out of that experience because I was so much younger than the other paladins. I was just happy when you showed up in the cloister and picked me up from that altar. I smiled then. Do you remember? I smiled because I knew I was finally going home. I'm glad you came. I was worried that no angel would want a fifteen-year-old paladin."
"I saw great potential in you. I still do. You talk about all this like it happened years ago. It was a week, Jaylen. You can't be so calloused to it all yet."
"Dwelling on it won't help anything." Jaylen took Zeriel's hand. "I owe you so much. Thank you, Zeriel. Thank you for choosing me as your paladin. That was the most terrifying part of it all. While I was tied to that altar with all the priests surrounding me, calling out names of angels, I listened to the list. Hundreds of names echoed in that chamber, but no one came for me. They went alphabetically, so when they got to your name, I was hopeless. I knew they were going to deem me unworthy and sacrifice me right there."
"I wasn't going to let that happen. I saw the quality of your young soul. That's why I came down here to submit myself to you." Zeriel stood up and stretched his wings high in the air. "Well, sitting here talking about sad things isn't going to teach you how to waltz before the party tonight."
Jaylen choked on his glass of milk then wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "Party? What party? I didn't know of any party."
Zeriel pulled out a letter from his pocket and held it up in the mage-glow. "This was your invitation to the birthday celebration of Prince Averin."
Jaylen sneered. "My older cousin."
"The next king?"
"If things go well. Averin annoys me and picks on me, but he will be a good leader. He knows all about military tactics and warfare. If we go to war with Wolfekin again, I would be honored to fight alongside my fellow paladins under Averin's command."
Zeriel chuckled as he cleaned off the table. "You on a battlefield? That's a sight I'll be waiting to see."
"Shut up, you. I can hold my own in formation. Don't forget that I went through a year of combat training before the trial."
"Training and warfare are two completely different things. Just like combat and ballroom dancing require different sensibilities."
Jaylen stood up and smoothed his tunic. "I know how to dance, thank you very much. Growing up as a young nobleman, my mother made sure I knew how to properly represent my family and the crown in all aspects."
There was a loud pounding on the front door and someone called out to them. "Royal courier with a message."
Zeriel opened the door where a courier in royal red velvet bowed and held out a letter. "Can I help you?"
"Holy Angel, I have an urgent message for your paladin, straight from King Talyn."
"I will make sure he gets it immediately."
"Don't let anyone else read it, not even you, angel."
"I will not let any unauthorized eyes see this letter."
"Very good. I have to go now."
Zeriel closed the door and examined the royal wax seal of Vilyron, a rising sun above a crescent moon.
"What was that?" Jaylen asked.
"An urgent letter to you from your uncle."
Jaylen took the letter and cut through the wax seal before reading it.
To the attention of Paladin Jaylen Amalas Corrifus, Duke of Ilyan:
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Dearest Nephew, it has come to the attention of my royal advisor that there may be certain security flaws during the celebration of my oldest son's party later tonight. While my other paladins are out on assignment, security detail will fall solely on your shoulders. Do not worry. I have complete trust in your new abilities and the guardianship of your angel. This will be your first solo mission, so prove your worth to the kingdom. Normally, I would be contacting my guard captain, but this specific threat requires the talents of a holy paladin like yourself. Shackles and swords do little against the otherworld beings. I do not have any specifics, so be on guard for anything out of the ordinary tonight while you are careful to not give yourself away as a holy knight. Your angel will be able to sense any potential threats. Do this for your kingdom and I will see to it that you are handsomely rewarded. May Sola bless and guide you.
Jaylen set the high quality paper down on the table as he started to grow anxious. Even though he was now a paladin, he didn't have much experience at all dealing with the otherworld beings. In all honesty, they scared him. He was supposed to be the guardian between the human world and the mystical world, but his greatest fear was finding a creature on the other side that he couldn't deal with.
"What does it say?" Zeriel asked as he came up behind Jaylen and rubbed his shoulders.
"The king wants me to be on security detail at the party tonight. Sounds like there is an otherworldly threat."
"Are we talking werewolves, wraiths, vampires, elves, what?"
Jaylen moaned as the angel's fingers dug into his tired muscles. "He doesn't say. Sola help me. I hope it's not elves."
"What better way to take out the prospective king than a band of elven shadow assassins? If it is elves, I can get rid of them easily. That's not a problem. The worst case would be demons or Fallen."
"Fallen angels . . . what would they want with a prince?"
"Corrupting noble souls with enormous power is always on the minds of demons and their cohorts. They can manipulate their fallen angels and their human puppets to do what they want."
"And what do demons ultimately want?" Jaylen asked.
"Use your brain for a minute. This will be your school lesson for today. I'll put it in the form of a critical thinking problem. Picture this. A young boy, about six years old, is a peasant on the streets of this city without any family or friends to help him. He was turned away from the orphanage because it was already filled with other needy kids. If he got into the orphanage, he would have a much better life, one with food and clothes and a warm place to sleep. The only thing standing between that boy and a better life is another child about his age. What would he do?"
"Try to get a job somewhere, maybe join the Holy Order and become a member of the clergy."
"That's what an angel would do. Now, think about what a demon would do. If that boy was so clouded by desire and greed, what would he do to ensure he had a place in that orphanage?" Zeriel asked.
"Get rid of one of the other children to make room, then take their place."
"Exactly. The demons are constantly trying to gain a foothold in Heaven by tempting and tarnishing angels. The demons don't want to be trapped in Hell. They are more than eager to swap places with unsuspecting angels. If the bond between an angel and his paladin is broken, both the angel and the paladin are left extremely vulnerable to the darkness. That is why I have to be vigilant at all times to ensure that nothing evil touches you, Jay."
"So what now?" Jaylen asked.
Zeriel grinned as he pulled on his wool coat. "I guess I have to go find you some suitable attire for a royal party."
Chapter 3
Jaylen examined himself in the reflection of the polished glass in the royal rose gardens under the white balconies and flowing crimson banners bearing the sigil of Vilyron. He smiled as he looked over his purple velvet tunic, soft leather long coat, and thigh-high black lace boots over his white leggings. All of this was woven with pearls, citrine gemstones, and tiny diamonds. It wasn't often that he got to dress this way, but when he did, Jaylen's stores of money he inherited from his family were put to good use.
"Don't forget your hat." Zeriel placed the gold and purple floppy hat on Jaylen's head. "Well, you look good enough."
"Good enough? You're the one who bought all of this stuff."
"I continue to forget how young you are. My previous paladin was much older and distinguished."
"Who were your other paladins?" Jaylen asked as he looked over his angel's plain black attire and ruby buttons.
"I've only had one other paladin. His name will remain a secret, both for your security and my own. Ah, listen. They have started announcing the guests. Time to take your place near the head of the line, Master." Zeriel led him up the tall white garden steps and bowed as the servants opened the tall golden doors to the ballroom.
The grand crystal archways glistened in the mage-glow, casting shimmering rainbows through the prisms above the ballroom where hundreds of lords and ladies lined the center and chatted amongst themselves. The women wore large dresses of all colors, adorned with ribbons and jewels of the finest quality. Violins played flittering music as servants carried golden trays of hors d'oeuvres and thin crystal glasses filled to the brim with sparkling wine.
The announcer directed everyone's attention to the top of the stairs where Jaylen nervously squeezed Zeriel's hand. "Presenting Paladin Jaylen Amalas Corrifus, Duke of Ilyan, only child of House Corrifus, seventh in line to the throne of Vilyron. Accompanying him is Holy Angel Zeriel."
As Jaylen made his way down the steps and onto the ballroom floor, he felt the criticizing eyes and heard the rumor-fueled whispers of the other nobles. They all watched him closely, monitoring his every move as if they were vultures about to pick at his corpse . . . only waiting for him to die before they seized the chance to tear apart everything he had. Behind their polished stones and gold necklaces, these outwardly noble people were nothing but ravenous wolves. Jaylen knew that all too well.
After his father's tragic death which still remained a mystery, no one here offered to help him and his mother. When his mother became too depressed to do anything other than stay in bed all day and take drugs until she overdosed, no one offered to help young Jaylen with anything. He was left to watch his mother slowly fade away and figure out how to be a member of the nobility all on his own.
Zeriel pulled him along then through the crowds of nobles to a small alcove in the back surrounded by tall bookshelves and the occasional whispering couple in the shadowy corners. "Jaylen, we need-"
"You will address me as Master in public, do you hear me? I can't afford to look weak around these people. In their eyes you are my slave, so you must behave like one."
"These people bother you, don't they?"
Jaylen unbuttoned the front of his coat and wiped the sweat from under his hat. "I know they are forming opinions of me without even speaking with me. They hate me and they all want to move up in the world. Because I'm royalty, they want to find a way to manipulate me to get what they want."
"Like I said before, I will stop anyone from manipulating you, be that demons or prissy nobles."
Jaylen took a glass of sparkling wine from one of the servants. "Look, Zeriel. Other angels. Do you know who they are?"
"I'll let you know if I see any of my friends."
Jaylen smirked. "You have friends? You seemed like such a lone wolf."
"Angels always have friends."
"Doesn't that mean you always have enemies?"
"Naturally." Zeriel eyed his paladin curiously. "You're not going to drink that wine, are you?"
"What is it to you?"
"Keep your vows forever in the foreground of your mind, Master. Paladins are sworn to not partake in such things."
"I know that." Jaylen handed the glass to Zeriel. "I got it for you."
"I don't have to eat or drink."
"But you can, so do it. I'm sorry. I'm just really nervous."
"Don't b
e. We have a job to do here tonight that doesn't include dancing or gossip." Zeriel motioned to the side hallway. "And I think I just found our first clue."
Jaylen glanced around to make sure he wasn't garnering any massive amounts of attention before going over to the darkened hallway and peering around the column. His heart leaped in his chest when he saw the glittering drops of dark blood spotting the glossy wooden floor. The window above the side stairwell was open, the ivory curtains billowing softly in the night winds. The undeniable scent of cedar wood wafted in the air.
"Smell that?" Zeriel asked.
"Cedar."
"You know what smells like cedar trees, don't you?"
"Vampires." Jaylen said.
"Not just any vampires. White vampires."
"White vampires?" Jaylen asked. "What's the difference?"
"White vampires aren't undead. They are as alive as you are, Master. They are humans who have taken to drinking the blood of other humans. They band together in flocks and are generally used by the undead vampires to infiltrate places that they can't go themselves. Someone on the Vampire Council wants your cousin's blood."
"And whose blood is that on the floor?" Jaylen asked.
"Probably an unlucky guard. It's tragic, but it gives us a bit of a trail to follow."
Jaylen stepped over the blood and followed the dark wooden banisters up to the second floor balcony that overlooked the ballroom. His cousins spotted him from the far side of the ballroom and waved to him. He waved back with a smile, just so they wouldn't be suspecting that anything was happening.
Zeriel whispered hurriedly to Jaylen. "There! On the chandelier."
The large crystal chandelier hung from the tallest rafters of the castle, cascading light from the frozen orbs of mage-glow. High up above the illuminating glow, a pale man in all black slid slowly down the chain securing the heavy chandelier to the ceiling. A white mask covered his entire face, except for the spark of orange eyes and the sharp fang-like teeth.
Angel of Darkness Books 1-5 Page 2