Angel of Darkness Books 1-5

by Mackenzie Morris

  "It's not worth it. It's not. Listen to me-"

  "No, you listen to me! My plans have already been started. Carvael and Queen Sela of Wolfekin are on my side. They want me to be in charge of Vilyron. Don't you see the benefits this alliance can have? If I kill my father and become king of Vilyron, all the killing and death . . . it all stops. This is the way we will finally have peace between the two nations. Don't you think it's worth it? You're a paladin. Don't you agree that sometimes sacrifices must be made for the betterment of the greater good?"

  "What? Like the fake Cleansing? Thousands of paladins were killed by their angels who they trusted with their lives, all for nothing! Their deaths didn't bring the sun back. Sola did that when she deemed us worthy. How dare you glorify their deaths when their sacrifices were in vain?"

  "In vain? No, no. We used them to summon our dragons." Prince Averin giggled darkly as his placed his hand over his mouth. "Oops. Was I not supposed to let that secret out?"

  "I already knew about the dragons being kept underneath the temple. Why are they there? What are they being used for? Tell me!"

  Prince Averin pointed at him. "Do not raise your voice to the next king of Vilyron!"

  It was all too obvious that Jaylen was not going to win this argument. The best he could hope for was to get his amulet back and then go fight off at least some of the werewolves that were pouring into the city as he stood there. "Please. I don't want to fight you, cousin. Just tell me where my amulet is and I'll leave."

  "You mean this amulet?" Prince Averin held up the blue topaz amulet from inside his velvet tunic. "I would give it back to you, but I'm not done using it yet."

  Jaylen's chest tightened. "Using it? You're the vampire?"

  "A white vampire, but yes. Once I tried someone's blood, something awakened inside of me. I spoke with a few of the white vampire mercenaries that joined our forces and they explained everything to me. Then my wonderful shadow magic showed up. Oh, the marvelous things I can do with blood."

  "You're the one who made me cut myself earlier today."

  "And yet you're still alive. Too bad. Let's change that, shall we? Men, do not engage him. Leave immediately and do not enter again. Jaylen is mine." Prince Averin scraped his long nails across his wrist, cutting down to the vein. As the blood swirled around him, shadows fell across the room. He grinned darkly as he shoved outward with his hands, sending a surge of black magic towards Jaylen.

  Jaylen was thrown to the polished floor where he slid to a stop against the far wall. He groaned as he struggled to stand. "Why didn't you just have me killed then? I'm sure the death penalty was on the table after what happened at the fort. You could have ended me right there."

  "But that's just not as fun. Watching you hang from a rope doesn't give me the same satisfaction as I'm going to have slicing you into pieces and hearing you scream. And I will hear you beg like the little dog you are. Bark for me, Jaylen."

  "Never!" Jaylen dove out of the way of another blast of shadows. He drew his sword and ran at his cousin, slicing through his swirling magic. The blade cut into his hip, sending a shower of blood to the floor. When Jaylen brought the sword back up to hit him again, the blood from the floor sprang up and became gelatinous, blocking the swing and sending him stumbling backwards.

  "I knew you couldn't stay away once you heard the emergency horns. I knew you would come looking for your amulet. And this was such a great surprise when you showed up alone. Where is your angel? Did Zeriel abandon you to die here?" Prince Averin chuckled while he raised his arms in the air and the shadows began to move in closer around Jaylen. "What's wrong, paladin? You look like you've seen a ghost."

  Jaylen slashed out at the shadows that were moving closer, threatening to enclose him inside. "You're no mage! You didn't even have magic before."

  "Exactly. I didn't know how wonderful it could feel to control something so powerful until I discovered what it meant to be a white vampire."

  "Zeriel!" Jaylen screamed as the shadows tightened around him, squeezing him tightly as the air slowly left his lungs. The more he panicked, the more they suffocated him. His body tensed up as he was pushed down to his knees then kept there, unable to move. The cold shadows filled his mouth and he shivered as they moved down inside of him, completely blocking off his ability to breathe. The blackness overwhelmed him until the only thing he could hear was his cousin's demented laughing and taunting.

  "Calling for your angel? He can't help you now, Jaylen. In a few seconds, you will slowly black out and die from lack of oxygen. Do you want me to sing you to sleep? I could sing that paladin dirge so you could feel close to all the other worthless paladins who died for something much grander than you."

  Jaylen's vision began to fog and fade as something shattered nearby. He couldn't see past the shadows or feel anything but the cold mist on his skin. Just as he fell forward into unconsciousness, warm arms grabbed him. He barely made out the figure of a person standing in front of him who was rapidly pulling at the shadows and breaking them open. Suddenly, his lungs burned with the intake of the vital air. He gasped then collapsed into the person's arms as he broke out in a fit of violent coughing.

  "Move!"

  Jaylen was thrown back down to the floor as the person moved away. He recognized the voice as being Zeriel. So he had come to save him after all. It felt satisfying to prove Prince Averin wrong. But Jaylen's joy was cut short as another shadow sped past his head. He rolled over as his vision returned to him, just in time to watch Zeriel's glowing shotgun appear and a blast of haze-coated lead pellets to be fired at Prince Averin.

  "No one touches my paladin, not even his own family. I let that happen too much already. I will see to it that it never happens again."

  "I can't use my magic!" Prince Averin tried to crawl away over the shards of colorful stained glass as his blood left a streak across the polished marble floor. "What is that thing? A heavenly weapon? How did a common angel get one, much less a fallen angel?"

  "You don't know who I am, do you? Does the clergy not do their jobs in educating anyone anymore? I am Zeriel, son of Sola and Archangel Carvael. I am the one and only prince of Heaven. Enjoying the magic-dampening effect? Yes, I thought that little enchantment would come in handy." Zeriel spun the shotgun in his hand then aimed at the dying man again. "This is my heavenly weapon, given to me by my mother. Sola has entrusted it to me despite my failures. I am to redeem myself and prove to her that I am worthy of her trust. That process begins here. Jaylen, finish off this bastard. He doesn't deserve to live after what he has done. What kind of prince sets his own capital city on fire, opens the gates to werewolves, and sides with the enemy forces during wartime? You are the military commander, Averin! What you have done is beyond simple treason. As of this moment, you are as much an enemy to Vilyron as Queen Sela herself. And what have you gotten out of that? The empty promise of power? You disgust me. There was a time when I was proud to be fighting for Vilyron in all of this, but now I'm left wondering if the core of this apple is as rotten as its leaves."

  Sweat trickled down Jaylen's face as he tried to catch his breath. His sword felt heavy in his hand after so long without using these muscles in his arm and back. Even his abdominal muscles ached. The pain and soreness only made him want to fight more. But even despite the rage that had been building inside of him, he felt a strange twinge of pity for his cousin. To see such a regal and powerful man reduced to begging for his life at the feet of a fallen angel made him uneasy. Even more than that, Jaylen instantly came to terms to what they had done. They had injured a prince. If he was to finish Prince Averin off, Jaylen would have killed the future king of the country he loved so dearly.

  "Do it, Jaylen. Finish him off. We have to go before the fires spread. Think of your aunt and uncle and all your other cousins. They need you to be their hero."

  "I . . . I don't know if I can. He's my cousin."

  "Jaylen, your other family members will die if we don't do something. We can't let Ave
rin get away. He will only do more evil in the future. Either you get over here and kill him, or I will. Just give me the order, Master."

  "Do it." Jaylen watched as Zeriel stood over Prince Averin and readied the shotgun. In a moment of decision, Jaylen threw down his sword and called out to Zeriel. "Stop! I will do it. This is my battle. It's time for me to step up and do something on my own. I want to kill him with my magic."

  "What? Why?"

  "Just rip that amulet from around his neck and toss it to me. If he is going to be executed for his crimes against Sola and against Vilyron, then I will execute him with my light magic as a true paladin should."

  "Don't make me regret this, Jaylen." Zeriel took the amulet in his hand then tore it away from Prince Averin and tossed it to Jaylen.

  Jaylen slipped the amulet over his head then felt the magic power filling his body again. The ethereal left hand reappeared. He could nearly feel both halves of his soul growing stronger, almost as if they were finally unified with the resurgence of magic breathing life into them. Every vein opened and filled with the energy. He felt alive, energized, and rejuvenated in ways that nothing else could do for him. It was more than usual, as if something had manipulated his trapped soul segment. He would ask about that later. Right now, he had a homicidal vampire to deal with.

  "Please . . . just kill me. I'm . . . hurting."

  Jaylen would gladly oblige. "Any final words, traitor?"

  Prince Averin looked directly into Jaylen's eyes. "Long live . . . Eternal . . . Eclipse. Don't . . . trust . . . the thief. Karixlesminatim."

  "What? I don't understand. What does that mean?" Jaylen knelt down next to his cousin. "Averin, what does that mean? What was that word you used? Answer me!"

  Averin closed his eyes and stayed there, breathing shallowly as he continued to bleed out.

  He took his cousin's blood-soaked tunic in his hand and shook him violently. "Tell me, damn it! Tell me what it means!"

  Zeriel turned away. "Just end him, Jaylen. He is suffering needlessly."

  "Fine. But for the record, if Liam is still alive, I trust him with my life." Jaylen placed his hand on Prince Averin's chest. "By Sola's mercy and divine judgment, you now pay for your crimes with your life. May her rays guide your soul."

  Chapter 14

  Oviel turned the hourglass back over once the white sand had emptied. He poured another glass full of apple juice. "Your break is over."

  Liam put the pastel paints down as he stepped back and examined his canvas on the easel in the corner of the stone cell where Oviel's bright purple mage-glow danced in the air. "Do ya like my paintin'? It's the cotton fields where I'm from."

  "It's very nice. You have some raw artistic talent. If you would like to learn more about art, I could train you in that as well. But right now, we have other things to do." He handed the boy the glass of apple juice. "All right, Liam. We are going to practice writing some more, okay? Show me how well you can write the new letters you learned yesterday."

  Liam sat at the small wooden table and took the pen in his hand.

  Oviel smiled as he watched the boy concentrating on his work. For the past two months of being trapped down here in this underground cell, he had done his best to teach Liam all he needed to know and everything he missed out on not going to school. And there was a lot. They had to start at the beginning. Two months ago, the boy couldn't even write his own name. The only mathematics Liam could use was calculating how much he had to steal in order to feed a family of nine. At first, Oviel thought this would be a difficult process, but Liam was a very bright young man. Oviel had taught many young angels in Heaven, but not even his divine students listened as well as this little thief.

  It was heartbreaking. Liam had a willingness and a desperate hunger for learning that would have gone unanswered if not for Oviel. There was a sparkle of desire and intrigue that danced in those bright green eyes as Liam tried to learn all he could about anything and everything. Being the previous head instructor in Heaven made Oviel need to teach. He had been away from students for too long. Now, he had a permanent student who he was bound to and he was thrilled.

  Oviel went behind his eager student and peered over his shoulder to glance at the paper. What he saw confused him. "What is that?"

  "His name. Karixlesminatim. He was in my dream last night. I don't know what he looked like, but I heard his voice. He was callin' to me."

  "That's the name of an Elder Dragon. I would call him Karix for short. He used to be my friend hundreds of years ago. Why would he be calling for you? Did he say anything else?"

  "No." Liam set the pen back down. "You were friends with a dragon? My mommy used to tell me stories about dragons and the awesome Dragon Knights who rode 'em into battle."

  "Yes, well, Karix didn't want a knight. He was always alone. Then . . . well, that doesn't matter. Try to forget about that dream. I'm sure it was nothing. You have too much work to do to be caught up in those stories. Tell you what. If you finish your lessons early today, we will have a bit of fun. I will show you how to write your own story about a dragon."

  Liam perked up. "Really?"

  "So you like that idea, do you? There may be a life ahead for you other than being a thief."

  "What do you think I could do, Ovi?"

  "No offense to you, but you aren't exactly paladin material. The Divinity Trial you and Trevor went through was fake. You realize that, don't you?" Oviel asked.

  "Yeah. You bribed the priests so we could join Jaylen's squad."

  "And this goes to prove to you that bribing people and trying to trick the system doesn't lead to anything good. We all would have been better off if we had left Requiem Squad alone."

  Liam's smile vanished. "But Jaylen could have died."

  "I'm not entirely sure that would have been a tragic thing."

  "But Ovi! Jaylen's my friend."

  "You can still say that in all certainty? After all he did at the fort? You could have died. We all could have died."

  The sparkle faded from Liam's eyes. "I called for him. When Sulstair grabbed me, I cried to Jaylen, but he ignored me. He stood there and didn't do anythin'."

  "I know. I know, Liam. You should never have been exposed to such a violent event as that. But what's done is done." Oviel gently traced the brands on the sides of Liam's face. "Do these hurt you still?"

  "Not really."

  "These will be an issue if we ever get out of here and try to reintegrate you into society. Not many people will even think of hiring a thief. Finding you a wife will be troublesome."

  "I don't want a wife." Liam grumbled under his breath.

  "Why not? Don't you want a family? Children?"

  "Children need food. They need stuff that I can't give 'em. They scare me. All my little sisters needed stuff, but my ma and pa couldn't get it for 'em. Then they all died."

  "But that's why you could be an even better father. You know what children need. You even risked your life to feed them. You will be a great father one day."

  "I did give up my life for 'em. I'm dead, remember?" Liam asked.

  "As long as you are feeling, breathing, and thinking, you're not dead. Do you hear me?" Oviel shook the boy's shoulders. "You can't give up on life because some necromancer is playing games with your soul. You listen to me right now, Liam. I will not stop fighting for you until I get your soul back. And if that means you go on living your life, then I will be ecstatic. But if that means that you are finally able to die like you need to, then I will be all right with that fate as well. Then your soul will either be given to the demons or the angels. I will personally stand up in front of the Angelic Court to petition them to allow your soul to be devoured by angels and not demons."

  "You don't hate me because I died already?"

  "No. Could a corpse learn the things you've learned? Could a corpse sing those little songs you do before bed? Or tell me this. Could a corpse show so much love for every living creature like you saved that mouse we found in the corne
r? The answer is no. You are still very much alive, Liam. And I'll tell you one more thing. There is greatness in your future. I can sense it. You aren't even close to being done living your life. I guarantee it."

  They looked up at the cell bars as the curvy purple-haired succubus stepped towards them and slid the two metal trays of food underneath the bars. She wore a long black leather skirt and corset.

  Liam ran to her. "Hi, Liaxa."

  Liaxa smiled back at him. "Dinner time, Liam. I found you some extra sugar cookies that Axaniel was hiding in the pantry. Shh. Don't tell him I stole them for you."

  Liam eagerly carried the trays to the table then munched on the cookies.

  "Oviel, don't be mad at me."

  Oviel glared at her. "Why do you stay here? To mock us? You still haven't answered my question. Why did you betray us like this? I cannot believe that you would side with Axaniel and Sulstair. If your father-"

  "If my father what? I am doing this for my father. Gavin needs me here. He just doesn't know it yet."

  "How could you possibly be okay with keeping your friends locked up down here?" Oviel asked.

  "What?" Liaxa asked. "In cushy cells with all the food you could eat, all the books and supplies you asked for, comfortable beds, and soft clothes to wear? You two get everything you want. And who saw to that? Me. I did. You're welcome."

  "We want to be free. How long are you going to keep us down here?"

  "Until Sulstair and Carvael say you're free to go. They are currently busy on a very important mission."

  "You are a traitor and a disgrace to everything we have been working towards. How dare you claim that your father would want this?"

  Liaxa tossed her head, sending her long purple hair behind her shoulders. "I love my father too much to watch him die for something stupid. Gavin and Carvael need to make up and get over their differences. I bet you didn't know that Gavin took a contract to kill Carvael. Yep, that's right. They're going to wind up killing each other. Then what happens with Jaylen?"