Angel of Darkness Books 1-5

by Mackenzie Morris

  "I'm sorry, Ata-Lin. I only thought that-"

  "I don't care for your excuses." Xair turned to Nimiel. "Nimiel, would you be opposed to me trying to leash you? You would have more freedoms than my normal demons, but I could help train you to keep your powers under control."

  Nimiel leaned over and rested his head on Jaylen's shoulder. "Would I still be able to be friends with Jaylen?"

  "Of course."

  "Okay. I'll try it. I don't want to hurt anyone else."

  Trevor continued rowing. "That wasn't entirely your fault. I apologize for making you do that and I also apologize to you, Jaylen. If I needed your blood, I should have just asked."

  To comfort his young friend, Jaylen held Nimiel close to his chest until the rowboat ran up onto the rocky shore. Jaylen stood up and helped the fledgling out of the boat as the angels joined them. He stared in wonder at the tall peaks of the black-stone mountains that stretched far off into the distance. The tops of some were flat where he could see the structures that used to be homes and buildings. Clinging to every surface was a thick layer of solid ice. "You never told us that Ka'tayl was so . . ."

  "Frozen?" Xair asked. "It didn't used to be, but that was before my people were put on ice. I should have picked something else, maybe a flood or a fire. At least then it would have been warm."

  "What?"

  "Oh, nothing. Just talking to myself. I hate being back here."

  Brinx looked around in wonder. "It's a beautiful land, Xair."

  "You should have seen it before your sun goddess decided my people weren't worthy of living. Hey, fledgling, get up here. If you want to play around with the magic of my people, then you need to see the repercussions that happen when Ka'taylin magic gets out of control. Everyone follow me. We are going to Akalam-Tirya."

  "What's Akalam-Tirya?" Jaylen asked.

  "My home."

  They all walked together up the steep mountain path towards the leveled top of the mountain in silence until Trevor broke the silence. "So, while we're on this trek, why don't you tell us how your people died?"

  Xair scoffed and helped his wife over a boulder. "Do you want the fairy tale story that the textbooks tell in your academies or do you want the actual truth from the one pure Ka'taylin who was there to see the entire thing?"

  "The real story. Everything."

  "Everything? You might feel differently about me if I tell you everything."

  "Do it." Jaylen ordered. "We deserve to know."

  "Fine. I will spare you the ancient history and go directly to when the problems started that led to Ka'tayl's destruction. Sola came down one day, prancing around like she was some sort of gift to humanity. She ordered me to stop playing with my demons. I told Sola to leave me and my people alone and let me do as I pleased. After she left, I continued to grow my demon army in preparation for the next encounter that I was certain was coming."

  "You actually defied Sola to her face?" Oviel asked.

  "Yes. I gathered up my demons and set them loose in the cities so others unleashed theirs as well. Then I herded every person on this continent, except for Amari, into the fields where I sacrificed them to feed the powers of the demons. I unleashed Hell in Ka'tayl. I laughed in Sola's face and challenged her. When she finally showed herself again, I was ready. We fought. It was me and my demons against Sola. Unlike her, I was in my element. I quickly overpowered her. Then I had the choice to make. Fire, water, or ice. I chose to freeze all of Ka'tayl so that I could return one day and maybe find something of importance if I ever needed to do so."

  "You fought Sola?"

  "We're just getting to the good part. Know what I did then? I stood on top of the piles of corpses of my people and laughed as my demons tore Sola apart and devoured her piece by piece until she vanished. You know why I'm just a journeyman? Because I killed everyone. There was no one who could give me a higher title. I could have been sultan. I could have had everything, but I gave all that up to do what should have been done from the very beginning. That's right, my dumb feathered friends. I killed your precious sun goddess. And guess what? I loved it. So before you people go insulting me and my religion, ask yourself this one question. If Sola is dead, who is running Heaven?"

  Gavin raised an eyebrow at Xair. "Sola is still alive. I can personally attest to that. You know what my job has been for hundreds of years, right? I mate with Sola for the angels. I know better than anyone that Sola is still alive."

  "Are you sure it's Sola?" Xair asked. "I thought you lost your memory of the encounter every time it happened."

  "That is true. Fine. There is something in Heaven. It might not be Sola, but it is female and it is powerful."

  Nimiel cried out. "Don't step there, Xair!"

  Everyone stopped and looked down at the glowing green sigil on the top of the snow in front of Xair's feet. It glistened with an ominous magical glow.

  Xair stepped back. "What is that thing? I've never seen anything like it. What do we do? Just go around it?"

  "You can't." Nimiel joined Xair's side then examined the sigil. "Can't you see the barrier? If you try to pass through it, it will kill you."

  "How do you know that?"

  "Pick up a rock and throw it through the barrier. You'll see."

  Trevor picked up a rock then sent it flying over the sigil. There was a sudden popping sound as the rock shattered into pieces and disintegrated in mid air. "Oh. Xair? Can you get us past this?"

  "No. This is something even older than my people's magic."

  Nimiel turned to them. "Let me try."

  "No way."

  "Please. Just unlock these shackles and I will be able to get us through. I won't hurt anyone. I swear it. Jaylen, tell them."

  Jaylen held out his hand to Oviel. "Give me the key. If we can't get past the sigil, then we can't go any farther. We might as well try what we can. If Nimiel thinks he can disarm this thing, then let him try."

  Oviel pushed past Jaylen then roughly grabbed Nimiel's hands and unlocked the shackles. "If you do anything that looks even the least bit suspicious, I will kill you."

  "Yes, sir." Nimiel rubbed the places where bruises had formed all the way around his bony wrists from the shackles that he had been wearing for the past month. He rolled up the sleeves of his cloak then placed one hand on the glowing sigil. There was a burst of green light as the sigil vanished, but Nimiel cried out in pain. He held out his hand where red burns streaked across his palm and up his arm.

  Before anyone could step up to help him, Oviel tightened the shackles back around Nimiel's wrists. "Stop whining, Nimiel."

  "He's injured, you twit." Xair ripped the key away from Oviel and reopened the shackles. "It's okay, Nimiel. Amari will wrap up your hand and do what she can for your burns."

  "No. If there are more of these, I need to be able to touch them to get them to go away."

  "You'll get more burns."

  "That's okay." Nimiel said. "I'm fine, really. I just want to help. Please don't put those back on me. I will stay next to Jaylen so he can make sure I won't do anything bad. Please."

  Xair placed the key and the shackles into Jaylen's hand. "Your decision."

  Jaylen tossed the shackles on the ground. "Let's go. I'm tired of this already. Weren't we supposed to be greeted by your mother's wife, Xair?"

  "According to the letter, yes. But I haven't seen any signs of anyone being here other than us. I haven't even met the woman and I haven't seen my mother in a thousand years. Maybe she is running late. Either way, we need to get up to the city. This mountain has grown unstable over the centuries and I fear that we may trigger an avalanche or a rockslide if we linger or misstep. The trail ahead passes through that small cave over there. Amari . . . do you feel that? Something isn't right."

  "I thought we established that already." Quipped Zeriel.

  "No . . . this is something wrong with the Arcanas. Hurry now. Let's get through this cave up ahead and continue up the mountain."

  They continued into the
cave where the mage-glow was absent. Jagged grey stalactites hung from the ceiling of the cave where tiny white bats clung close together in clumps. The sounds of dripping water echoed in the cave from deeper on in the tunnels.

  Jaylen stopped in the green light. "Oh, perfect. Another sigil."

  Nimiel made a tiny squeak that revealed his apprehension. "It's huge . . ."

  "You can do it, can't you?" Oviel asked.

  "I . . . I don't know exactly. If the little one burned me, what is this one going to do?"

  "Do it, or I make your life miserable."

  "There's no need to be so mean, Oviel." Then Jaylen noticed the sky blue topaz peeking out from between Oviel's white robe. "Are you wearing my amulet? That explains why you've been so erratic and mean lately. I thought we all decided to stay away from it until I need it to cast my magic. It makes people do crazy and evil things because it was made by a crazy and evil angel. Give it to me. It's mine and I have developed a certain resistance to it, so I should be the one to wear it. If I start doing anything weird, then you can have it back. But as it is, you're being worse than I ever was."

  "If you get all dark and brooding or try to flirt with Zeriel, then you lose it again."

  "Agreed." Jaylen took the amulet and slid it over his head. Once the large topaz gemstone touched the sun sigil on his chest, he closed his eyes as he felt the power surge through his veins and his magical left hand appeared. Every time he wore the amulet, the tingling exhilaration warmed his body and left him needing more. It was addictive . . . and dangerous. He let out a long low moan of ecstasy then opened his eyes and blushed. Everyone was staring at him and laughing.

  Liam snickered. "Do ya need a change of pants, Jaylen?"

  "Shut up. Let's go."

  The only person who wasn't laughing was Zeriel. "Jaylen, your eyes were orange for a second when you first opened them. Don't let that demonic half of your soul take over. If you do, then you might lose the pure side permanently."

  "You worry too much, Zeriel. I've got everything under control." Jaylen held the amulet in his hand and tried to block everything out. In reality, he didn't have anything under control. Without being bonded to an angel who would dote on him and ensure that he was taking care of himself, Jaylen had started to slip back into the self abuse and neglect that had plagued him for so long even under Zeriel's watch. He had been taking too many pain pills for the pain in his jaw, he stopped eating the last few days, and sleep had been impossible because of all the nightmares. His thoughts were ended when he heard Nimiel's tiny whispering voice.

  "I'll try it." Nimiel stepped up to the large sigil that was taller than he was. The pale green glow illuminated his pale skin and danced on his glossy grey eyes as he held out his hand that was visibly trembling in anticipation of the burns that were to come. Once the palm of his hand made contact with the glimmering sigil, the angel cried out as an explosion shook the ground under their feet. Nimiel fell backwards onto the stone floor.

  Jaylen dashed to his friend's side while rocks fell from the ceiling and a cloud of icy-filled dust filled the cavern. "Nim! Your arm . . ." Nimiel's arm was a bloody tangled mess of mangled flesh and scorched bone. The fledgling cried in agony, writhing from the pain. A sudden wave of energy flowed through Jaylen's body as he grabbed Nimiel's injured arm and unleashed a flash of light magic into his friend. He gasped as he watched the injuries repair themselves, leaving only a large bruise and a rough pink scar.

  Nimiel clung to Jaylen then held up his arm. "You fixed me. Jaylen, you fixed me. How did you do that?"

  "I . . . I don't know."

  Oviel looked pleased and actually grinned for a change. "Well, I must say I'm surprised. That was you finally using your spell weaver power. Amazing. I knew you had it in you, boy. Now, that was your light magic, but amplified. How are you feeling after that?"

  "I feel fine. I don't know why using my magic didn't hurt me this time, but I actually feel empowered. It's like I just drank an entire pot of tea. I feel awake." Jaylen helped Nimiel to his feet. "How are you feeling, Nim?"

  "Sore, but at least I'm not bleeding. I've never seen magic like yours. Or at least I don't remember it."

  Xair only shook his head. "Please don't dally here. We truly need to move on. Let us get this over with before I lose my few remaining scraps of sanity."

  Chapter 15

  Xair's shoulder-length white hair blew in the icy wind that bit into his skin and sent a shiver down his spine. The raw frozen state of his homeland was a new one, one that he wished with every part of his being didn't have to happen. Ka'tayl used to be a majestic land, one of waterfalls, flowing rivers, and vast fruit orchards. It was a warm land where the sun never left, even when it left the northern continents. But now only residual mage-glow, still powered by the lingering extreme release of demonic magic, provided a hazy light over the continent.

  He absentmindedly traced Amari's delicate fingers as he held them in his hand. Every once in a while, Xair looked over to check on his wife as he guided her up the trail that she couldn't see for herself. He watched her closely for any signs of exhaustion or thirst or even if her pale blonde hair had come undone from the neatly kept bun on the top of her head. Just because she was blind didn't mean she didn't deserve to be beautiful. He was quick to react when she tripped on a loose stone. Xair caught her in his strong arms. "Are you all right?"

  Amari nodded her head, affectionately brushing her nose across the sensitive area below Xair's jaw line.

  "So Xair, where is your mother's new wife?" Oviel asked.

  Xair pushed the loose hairs from his wife's bun behind her ears and pulled the hood of her cloak over her head to block out the wind and keep her warm. "Maybe they broke up. That would be a blessing. I can't stand those kinds of things."

  "You have a problem with same-sex relationships, Ata-Lin?" Gavin asked.

  Xair sighed as he searched for the right way to say this. "It's not that I have a problem with the notion in general. It's just that those kinds of relationships are strictly forbidden according to my religion. I have no issues with Gavin or Oviel for their feelings and interest in men. I know all about you angels and your secret romances. There are no female angels in Heaven and you have to have someone. I get that. It's just that I seek to uphold and embody every aspect of my people's religion. It is very special to me. Beyond that, my mother is simply insane. Growing up, she had an entire harem filled with secret female concubines. I never had a stable family. Karix was the only male she had been with. And he was a dragon, so he didn't stay there to raise me. I only wanted a father, but I never had one. I didn't even meet Karix until I was already a man. He promised me that I would be the one he mated with, but now I know that was a lie. I guess you're better than me, Liam. Congratulations."

  Liam's emerald eyes grew large and dark. "I didn't mean to take that from you."

  "It's fine. I figured that Karix wouldn't want me when I didn't hear from him for so long, so I married Amari which made me unable to be his mate anyway. But I do still need that dragon eggshell around your neck."

  "No. I'm sorry, but it's mine."

  "Forget about it." Xair pointed up towards the next bend in the trail where the tops of red glass spires rose above the rocky outcroppings. "There is the capital city of Akalam-Tirya . . . or what is left of it. It used to be the pride of Ka'tayl, the trading hub, the center for research and religion. It is where I was born and where all the rituals were performed with dragons to produce half dragon men like me. It used to be so beautiful."

  Amari tugged on the sleeve of Xair's purple cloak then gently kissed his cheek.

  Xair managed a small smile. "Thank you for reminding me, Ili-Anan. And of course, this is where I met Amari." He then stopped and his smile vanished once he saw the large green sigil blocking the way. "I really hate to ask this of you, but do you think you could possibly break this one last sigil, Nimiel?"

  Nimiel fervently shook his head then hid behind Jaylen.

  "Ple
ase. If Jaylen could heal you once, he can heal you again."

  "Are you sure I can?" Jaylen asked. "Didn't you see the injuries he sustained last time? Don't you understand how painful that was for him? Now you want to subject this poor fledgling to more trauma? I say he doesn't have to do it if he doesn't want to."

  Zeriel crossed his arms on his chest. "Jaylen is right. For all we know, this is one big trap. We don't need to be hurting each other for something that we don't even know is real."

  Xair growled at him. "You've been doing nothing but complain this entire time. I'm sick of you and your-"

  "Stop!" Nimiel stepped forward. "I'll do it. Just don't fight. I'm tired of people fighting."

  Xair's heart starting beating quickly as he watched Nimiel reach out towards the sigil. He didn't want the kid to be hurt, but if he was the only person who could break the mysterious sigils, then there wasn't anything else they could do. "Be careful, Nimiel. If it hurts too much, we can try to figure out something else. I don't want you to kill yourself doing this. Please tell me how you are able to break these so I can possibly figure out a way to do this easier."

  "I don't know. I just don't know. They call to me, almost like I've seen them before. I will do it." Nimiel's fingers touched the green ethereal lines and lingered there for a second before the sigil shattered and he crumpled to the ground motionless.

  Jaylen screamed and was once again on the ground beside the fledgling. "Nimiel! Nimiel, wake up." He continued to shake the thin angel. "Please. Wake up, Nim. Someone help me. He's not breathing!"

  Zeriel leaned over and touched the side of Nimiel's neck. "Jaylen . . . he's dead. His heart stopped."

  "No, no, no. No! Nimiel!" Jaylen violently shook Nimiel's shoulders as the tears swelled in his eyes. He continued to clutch the angel to his chest for what seemed like an eternity as the snow and wind picked up outside the cave, howling ominously at the entrance. No one dared to make Jaylen give up or move on.