"Jaylen, you have my condolences. I know how close you were to him. We can bury him before we move on. Take your time." Xair truly felt bad for him, even though he never quite accepted or understood Nimiel. They let Jaylen hold onto the body of his dead friend for close to twenty minutes as he sobbed. It was difficult to watch, even for Xair. But then it all changed. He watched intently as Jaylen's eyes flashed orange like a demon's. Jaylen let out a high-pitched scream as a bright flash pulsed under his hands and into Nimiel.
Nimiel gasped and his eyes fluttered open. He sat up and grabbed onto Jaylen. "Jaylen, what just happened to me? I was so cold and everything was black."
Oviel's mouth fell open. "You were dead, Nimiel. Your heart stopped nearly half an hour ago. Jaylen brought you back to life. Wait. That's not possible. None of this is possible."
Jaylen was holding onto Nimiel and blabbering through his uncontrolled tears as he cried into Nimiel's shoulder. He continued muttering something incoherent while stroking the angel's straight blond hair.
Nimiel looked like he was completely clueless as he stared off into the distance with wide eyes. "Uh, Jaylen? Are you okay? I love you too, but I need you to stop. You're squeezing me really tightly." He squirmed in Jaylen's arms. "I . . . can't . . . breathe!"
Zeriel pulled the two of them apart. "Jaylen, you have to tell us what you just did. What was that magic? Answer me. How did you raise him from the dead?"
"I don't know." Jaylen wiped the tears from his cheeks and continued to stare at Nimiel. "One second, he was dead and the next, he just woke up. I don't remember anything."
"You don't remember the magic? That light?"
"What magic? I didn't cast anything."
Oviel glanced over at Xair and raised an eyebrow. Xair shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. How was he supposed to know what happened? That wasn't Ka'taylin magic, druidic or otherwise. Whatever Jaylen did was so far away from anything Xair had seen. Even necromancers couldn't revive a corpse in that short amount of time and with that much finesse. Those raised corpses usually had brain damage, but Nimiel seemed perfectly fine.
Amari leaned close and tapped her fingers against one of Xair's runes on his cheek.
Xair patted her back. Maybe she had a point. What if it was some kind of demonic magic? Amari was always able to pick up on things like that even when he couldn't. But if it was a demon, it had to be something much more powerful than the common nymphs, incubi, or wraiths. More concerning was the fact that it was using Jaylen's body to cast its spells. Maybe there was something more to Jaylen Corrifus than he originally thought. Xair's thoughts were interrupted when the group moved past him up the trail towards Akalam-Tirya. He would have to think on this more later.
Once they finally reached the flat top of the mountain, everyone gasped at the remnants of the city that Xair used to love. The dim mage-glow glinted off of the twisting tunnels and bridges made of ice that trailed across the entire city. Abandoned houses of black bricks and red glass still stood, harboring frozen corpses where they fell to Xair's spell to feed his demons so many centuries ago. More of the same glowing green sigils clung to the sides of the buildings and the tall twisting red glass sculptures that stretched high up towards the snowy sky.
Shattered glass cracked underneath the soles of Xair's leather boots as he slowly walked across the snow-blanketed street where no human had set foot in a thousand years. He held his cloak around him and hid his face from the others under the large hood. The last thing he wanted was for the angels to see him at his weakest. They couldn't see him crying. Xair squeezed his wife's hand while he watched the tiny snowflakes fall on the empty plaza where so many weddings had been consummated, including his. The newlywed couples would mate for the first time below the tulip trees and muscadine vines that used to fill the area as the entire city gathered around to watch and bless their marriage with the letters of well wishes and tiny gifts of mana they would leave around the couple. It was after the consummation that the bride and groom were cut open with a ceremonial glass dagger and the gold disks of marriage were inserted into their skin. He remembered every moment of that ceremony. There had been no fear, no humiliation. It was a sign of love and acceptance.
Now the beauty of the natural plaza was instead frozen solid, bleak, and filled with death. And it was all his fault. For the very first time since that horrible day, Xair felt a twinge of true guilt for his actions. He had only wanted to bring peace to his people and deliver them from the control of Sola, but in the end all he did was destroy them. Xair was the one who brought them more pain than Sola ever would have. It was his pride and hubris that sent him down that dark road until he was at the bottom of a pit where no light could reach him. He was trapped there where he was forced to take the most radical action to even stand a chance at survival. So he took it. And he killed them all. Xair stopped when he heard footsteps approaching from the opposite side of the plaza and a female voice called out to them.
"Hello there."
Jaylen audibly gasped. "Liaxa?"
The purple-haired curvy succubus in the long green corseted dress and brown fur coat stepped down the steps of a nearby building. Her orange eyes were slightly glowing and fixated on Jaylen. "You shouldn't have come here. Carvael is on his way with the armies of Heaven to arrest the angels and execute everyone else. This was the biggest, most obvious trap of the century and you all fell for it. We don't have time to stand here and chat. You have to leave now!"
"And why should we trust you of all people?" Oviel asked angrily. "You betrayed us and held me, Liam, Trevor, and Brinx in cells for two months. You're a lying traitor whore."
"I came here to help all of you, but if this is the thanks I get, then Carvael can have his way with you. I tried to be on your side, I really did. And what about you, King Jaylen? Can Vilyron not have a succubus queen? You get a fancy gold crown then all of a sudden you're all high and mighty and forget about all we had?"
Jaylen held out his hand to her. "Liaxa, I love-"
She cut him off. "The next word better be noodles. Because you can't say that you love me, Jaylen. If you loved me, you would have forgotten those stupid vows and married me."
"You know I can't do that. I'm sorry, Liaxa. I can't break my vows. Never."
"Are you saying that your vows to some invisible force are more important than me?" Liaxa asked.
Jaylen looked down at the ground. "I . . . yes."
"W-what?"
"My vows are the most important things I have. I'm sorry if that offends anyone, but I will not change. I swore to live my life a certain way and I will do everything in my power to do so. I will be a paladin until the day I die."
"Uh, guys?" Gavin asked. "Not to interrupt this hormone-fueled puppy love breakup, but we have the army of Heaven headed this way to smite us. I suggest that we at least look like we want to survive before Carvael and his feathery minions show up to gut us."
Xair motioned towards the sky. "Too late."
Chapter 16
Liaxa ran off into the abandoned city as the sounds of wings cut through the snowy air. A very intimidating elderly-looking angel with long white hair, large golden wings, and pristine white robes landed gracefully on top of a collapsed building as ten other angels, all in armor with their silver bows drawn flew down and joined him.
Jaylen's longsword flashed in the mage-glow as his held it up. "Carvael."
Carvael drew the golden sword of Heaven from his side and pointed it directly at Jaylen. "You broke our bond without my permission, you naughty little boy. It's not nice to betray people."
"You're one to talk. Why did you bring us all the way down here to Ka'tayl? Oh, wait. I get it. Down here, you can kill us and not draw any negative attention to your actions. You know that my citizens support me as their king and they would rise up against you if you ever tried to do this in Ilyan."
Carvael only chuckled, his laughter low and gravelly. He spun the sword in his hand. "Oh, naive little Jaylen. If you only
knew the truth. I had plans for Vilyron that I needed you far away to accomplish."
"What have you done to my kingdom?" Jaylen asked with the authority like the king he was.
"That is for you and your daddy to discuss . . . once you surrender and come to Heaven to face your fate in front of the Angelic Court. Everyone here is under arrest for being heretics and committing crimes against Heaven and Sola herself."
Xair cracked his knuckles then summoned his gnarled wooden staff out of the air. "But that's where you're wrong, archangel. If you want to arrest us, you'll have to kill us first."
"Xair Korvin. Always the rough and dangerous type, aren't you? I want to know something, rune-skin. Why do you have such a need to challenge authority? You did that before and killed off this entire continent. Didn't you learn your lesson?"
"Don't call me rune-skin."
"Oh, that's right. Your people hated being called that, but I don't care. After all, it's not really racist if you're the last one of your race. It's just hateful against you, rune-skin."
"Shut up!" Xair slammed the end of his staff into the snow where spikes of ice surged up out of the ground, causing the enemy angels to fly into the air to avoid the razor-sharp edges. He placed his hand over a lightning bolt rune on the right side of his neck. "Come to your Ata-Lin, Icoran!"
A burst of energy filled the air as the sky split open with an array of electricity. Lightning strikes melted the snow and blacked the ground where they made contact. Once the thunder reached near deafening levels, a glowing white and yellow ball of light materialized between Xair's feet. He placed his hand into the electricity and breathed deeply as it surrounded his body with a suit of armor made completely from the snapping and popping energy that coursed over his skin.
"Go now!" Oviel ordered, summoning a thick black fog with his newfound shadow magic. "Kill them. Xair, go after the angel soldiers. I will face Carvael alone."
"Of course. Gavin, protect Amari."
"Yes, Ata-Lin. Carvael knows better than to kill me."
The angels shot their arrows at Xair, but the glowing silver arrows ricocheted off of the electrified armor and sliced through three of the angels, penetrating their metal armor and robes and leaving tattered feathers and drops of blood on the snow.
Xair laughed as he spun his staff over his head. The lightning shot out of the tip of his staff then forked, hitting two angels at once. Their wings instantly stopped midflight and they plummeted to the ground, crying out in both shock and pain. "Now, Icoran!"
There were a few snaps of electricity as the demon began to take form, but then Xair's armor flickered and vanished. Only a tiny spark remained hovering in the air. Icoran's voice was airy as he spoke. "I have failed you, Ata-Lin."
"Icoran, what's the matter?" Xair asked, watching the sparks dying.
"There's another here interfering with my power, Ata-Lin. It's not the incubus. It's something more powerful. I can't recharge my energy. I need to go before I burn out."
"Then go. I will call another demon."
"Forgive me, Ata-Lin. Do not punish me. I tried."
"I know. Go!" Xair waited for Icoran to disappear before he reached under his shirt to touch the large crescent moon rune on his left pectoral. "Come to your Ata-Lin, Oron!"
Nothing.
"Oron, I demand you come to your Ata-Lin!" When there was still no answer and Xair was left to block the volley of arrows with his staff and waves of conjured water alone, he knew something was wrong just as Icoran had said. "Damn it all. Gavin, can you sense any other demonic presence that would be interfering with this?"
"No, Ata-Lin. Nothing out of the ordinary."
Jaylen screamed as Carvael grabbed him by his neck and kicked his legs out from under him. On his knees and whimpering, Jaylen closed his eyes as Carvael twisted his hand in the boy's hair. Carvael held him there with the golden sword pressed tightly against his throat. "Everyone stand down or I kill Jaylen."
Everyone stopped casting their magic, but a few of them tried to slash out with their weapons.
"I mean it." Carvael grinned as all the fighting stopped and they backed away from his angels.
Xair was breathing hard as his magic died down and he leaned against his staff to steady himself. As he watched Carvael closely, he chewed on a piece of mana just in case he would need the energy if the fight was going to continue. This was already taking much more out of him than it normally would. Without the ability to call his demons, he was having to rely solely on his elemental magic which was explosive and able to deal a large amount of damage, but drained him incredibly quickly. Xair took the chance to glance back at his Ili-Anan being comforted in Gavin's arms far back across the plaza. Good. He trusted Gavin to keep Amari safe. He then looked around at the others. Exhaustion hung over Oviel who was leaning against a building. Zeriel and Brinx were only watching Jaylen and Carvael. Trevor's hand was still tightly grasping the chunk of stone that he had ripped up from the street and had been using as a makeshift weapon. Nimiel was cowering behind a low crumbling brick wall, his ragged grey wings trembling. Liam was doing his best to comfort the fledgling and still remain hidden.
All at once, Jaylen squealed in pain as a red energy swirled around his body. An explosion sent Carvael and the angels stumbling backwards and a new figure appeared out of the red fog. Instead of Jaylen, a tall grey-skinned being with slanted bright orange eyes that stood out from his sharp chiseled features, black robes, braided black hair, and a glowing dark red halo that hovered above his head appeared.
"Whoa. What the hell is that?" Trevor asked.
The creature held out its arms, calling up a wall of red glowing magic that blocked the angels from moving towards the group. "Now, Nimiel!"
Carvael and the heavenly angels instantly froze where they were, some mid-swing. Three of them plummeted from the sky. They all dropped their weapons then collapsed, all seemingly asleep. Nimiel fell over into unconsciousness as well.
"Nimiel?" Liam shook him. Nim!"
Xair studied the situation. "I think his mind is in the dream world with them."
"Isn't that dangerous?"
"Probably. We need to leave." Xair took a puff of mana from the pouch on his belt and pushed it between Nimiel's pale pink lips. He immediately knew something was wrong. Nimiel began convulsing as blood poured from his mouth. "Uh . . . guys?"
"What's happening?" Oviel asked. "What did you give him?"
"Just some mana to give him energy."
"He's half demon, you idiot!" Oviel screamed.
"Oh, hell." Xair called out to his demon. "Gavin, I need you!"
"Oh, dearest. I thought you would never ask." Gavin raced to Nimiel's side then started to slice through his own arm with his claws.
"Hold on. What are you doing?" Xair asked.
"Demon bodily fluids negate the effects of the mana."
"Well don't cut yourself. Just kiss the kid."
"Suit yourself." Gavin crawled on top of Nimiel and began kissing him rather passionately. Everyone watched them, growing uncomfortable as the seconds ticked by.
"Hey." Xair nudged Gavin with the toe of his boot. "Okay. That's enough. Gavin, quit. You're not mating with the kid."
Gavin sat up and giggled as he wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "Sorry. I forgot how good how good angels taste."
"He's a child!"
"What part of demon do you people not understand?" Gavin asked mischievously.
Zeriel shrugged his shoulders. "He has a point."
"Enough!" Trevor went to Nimiel and helped the unconscious angel to his feet. "Someone help me with Nim. We're getting out of here before these angels come back into our reality."
"But what about Jaylen?" Liam asked, turning to the strange being with the halo of red light that was still hovering above the bricks and the snow, his bare feet gliding over the cold ground without any signs of shivering. "Who are you?"
The creature's voice was deep but strangely soothing. "I am Jaylen Corrifus."
/> "No, you aren't. You are a demon!" Xair raised his hand in the air as a dark mist swirled around his arm. "Prepare to be leashed, you unholy abomination." He stretched out his hand towards the demon, but his power sparked and threw him backwards onto the ground.
"Xair? What just happened?" Oviel asked.
He stood up and brushed the snow from his cloak. "It . . . it failed. I can't leash him."
The creature didn't seem amused. "Of course you can't leash me, Ka'taylin. I am already leashed to someone else. You should call me Divinus."
"Who could you possibly be leashed to? I'm the last Ka'taylin."
"You don't have to be Ka'taylin to leash demons. In fact, I bound myself to Jaylen because I am now Jaylen as well as Divinus. Don't you understand? I am not only a demon." The demon looked to the sky then screamed a primal howl as glowing white wings sprung from between his shoulder blades. "I am Jaylen's soul. Angel, demon, and human. Holy, condemned, and broken. I have taken a physical form in order to protect him."
"Where is Jaylen's body?" Zeriel asked. "His human body?"
"Inside of me where I have been keeping it safe. I will give it back, but no one here can tell the boy that I am living inside of him. I have possessed what is left of his soul and merged with it in order to keep it safe from those who are trying to corrupt him further. Whether you choose to believe it or not, I am Jaylen's most stalwart defender. As such, I will keep him safe from anything, including you angels."
"Those times Jaylen's eyes were orange-"
Divinus interrupted Zeriel. "That was me peeking out and taking control for a split second. If you see his eyes turn orange again, know that I am the one speaking. Jaylen will have no memory of me ever using his body unless I allow him to do so, so it is best if you do not let him know. I will be in touch."
Xair called out to him as he began to fade away. "Divinus, wait! I have questions. This isn't possible. Demons don't actually possess humans by taking over their bodies. This doesn't make sense!"
Divinus turned into a thick fog before Jaylen's body reappeared and collapsed in the snow.
Angel of Darkness Books 1-5 Page 64