by A C Wilds
Dismounting, we tie the nuckelavees to a nearby tree, filling their collapsible buckets with mash and blood. A creature of this realm needs the nourishment of life. Demon horses are no different.
“Explain to me how the witches have Holy Magic,” Uriel says. He rolls out his sleeping mat next to the fire I built. We’re all exhausted from our injuries and the long ride. A good night’s rest is what we need.
“Rahna, the Tenebris Priestess has a sphere. Same as I do.” My back is to him, but I can feel his stare itching over every part of me at the detail I forgot to mention.
“Torque,” he says, teeth gritted. Sighing, I turn to face what I’ve done.
“It was necessary.” The Holy Magic drifts in the air like a thick fog. Anima looks at us in confusion.
“I’m tired of being out of the loop. If I’m to be a part of this mission, I must know all the facts. Now.” She’s right—she does deserve it, even if I’m not proud of my actions.
“Yes, Torque. Tell her how you acquired Holy Magic. The magic of the angels.”
She rises from her bedroll, her body held in a stance I don’t ever want to see directed at me again. I can’t fight her, not after everything.
I run my finger through my hair and sit, knowing I’m putting myself in a vulnerable position. “I killed an archangel, and I bled him of his magic.” The truth is out of my mouth, the words hurting my tongue.
Even if it is only a half-truth, I have to let her believe it. It’s easier this way. Taking the magic of another before death is considered the most heinous of crimes. I’m not proud of the act, but I will do anything for my people.
“Which one?” Uriel asks, his shoulders hunched. His words are barely audible.
I close my eyes, not having the courage to see his expression. “Raziel.”
“You’ve taken magic by death? I followed you into this realm believing you were different than the other demons. I thought we were doing this to save a race. Yet, now I’m stuck here with a monster no better than the ones I was trained to kill.”
“Anima,” I call, but she doesn’t stick around for my explanation. She storms off into the woods, a white ghost trailing behind her. I sag against a fallen log at my back, shaking my head in shame.
“He was my brother. Even if I am one of the Fallen, you’ve killed my brother.” No anger, just pure pain. I fucked up. Now, I don’t know if either will forgive me, but it had to be said. They had to see what a monster I am. What I’m capable of doing…even if it means I lose her.
Anima
The stream in front of me moves with quiet grace. Namir sits by my side, not touching me, but offering silent comfort and letting me work through what I’ve learned.
The demon I’ve come to think of as a friend, maybe something more, has killed another being and drained their magic. I realize now this is the true reason Rahna wanted him dead. She knew he had the magic. And if she has it, that can mean she’s no longer a protector for New City. She’s no better than the princep.
“I don’t regret finding you, but how can I fight with a liar, a murderer of the highest degree? Someone no better than the witch we’re trying to stop?” I pick at the grass underneath me, the unnatural, teal-colored blades falling through my fingers.
You could not have known. I wish it could have been different for you.
I’m on my feet in moments, a dagger in my hand. Sweeping my gaze over the trees, I search for my attacker. The voice did not belong to Torque or Uriel.
Do not be afraid. You’ve grown into your power. We can now communicate.
Namir shifts his footing, and I snap my gaze to his. His head is cocked curiously, waiting for something.
“Are you speaking to me in my head?”
Chuffing, he gives me a cat grin. Something that should look ridiculous, but on Namir, it looks downright scary.
Yes, we are connected. My magic resides inside of you. It is what happened when I stopped you from exploding. Our bond was formed.
“What the fuck?”
He laughs inside my head, which sounds like a mewl on the outside. I’m bonded to a talking demon tyger. And not just anyone, but the white tyger. One of the fiercest creatures in the Demon Realm.
The fiercest and most powerful.
I laugh, lowering myself to his side and leaning against him for comfort. “What do you think Ari would say to that?”
She knows. We’ve been friends for a long time. Seen many lifetimes and demons come and go. I’ve waited for you since I was brought into existence a millennia ago. My soul feels complete now. You are a treasure, Anima. Your name means soul. It fits as you have a part of mine.
Tears well in my eyes, and I wrap my arms around him. I’ve never felt something like this. Like I’m worth someone’s love. The witches taught me how to survive, but never how to live.
“May I sit with you?”
I wipe the tears from my eyes before turning around. “No. I’m not going to consort with demons who break a sacred law. I’ve now realized why Tenebris wants you dead.”
“It had to be done. Let me explain.” His plea cuts a part of me that I didn’t know I had. If Namir feels like the only family I’ve ever had, Torque makes me feel like my essence is alive and pulsing within me. He makes my heart sing. Now, it’s broken.
“Leave, Torque. You can’t fix this.”
Namir growls low in warning, and the shuffle of leaves let me know he’s walked away. I’m truly alone again, building up the walls that should have never been lowered.
24
Torque
The next morning, I’m awoken by Ari’s screech. Her call echoes off the tops of the trees, letting me know there’s danger.
My heart picks up speed as I jump to my feet, blade in hand. “Wake up,” I snarl. Uriel barely rouses from his sleep, but Amina is already at my back, her sword gleaming in the dawn light.
“Namir says there are three on nuckelavees coming from town and another two riders on dragons?” She shakes her head like she heard wrong.
“Yes, dragons. Beings of the darkest magic. Killed only by holy fire or an ancient blade that doesn’t exist anymore,” Uriel says. He rises and takes off his shirt and shoes, but keeps his pants on.
With a blast of power, his wings unfurl, a bright light blazing through the trees. He shakes himself out, giving his black feathers a chance to breathe.
He picks up his sword from beside his bedroll. Holy fire rushes through his body, causing both Anima and me to stumble back.
“Gods, this feels like coming home after a long journey.” Gone is the innocent face with a playful personality. In front of us stands the flame of the gods. The guard to the gates of Tartarus. A Fallen angel.
A laugh cuts through the silence, and I watch Anima gaze up at Uriel in admiration. “You truly are a deadly avenger. Fitting you’d be paired with a dark witch/demon and a Blood king.”
Uriel offers her a bow before he blasts off into the skies, tearing apart the treetops in search of his prey.
“I will fight alongside you until we defeat Rahna, but after it is done, so are we. I will never see you again, Princep.” Her demand rips through me. A gaping hole stands in the place where my heart once was. I’ve lost her.
“As you wish, little witch.”
Shaking off my sadness, I prepare for the fight before me. Sword drawn, I bounce on my feet, anticipation humming through me.
The intruder’s nuckelavees pound on the forest floor. Ari circles us above, waiting for the moment when she’s needed. Namir stalks into the trees, his turn to be the surprise attack.
Anima steadies a knife at her side, waiting to take them at the right moment. Glancing at her one last time, I charge toward the soldiers, the general’s crest displayed on their chest.
Like a practiced militia, they jump from their mounts as one, charging straight at us. Anima lets her dagger fly, and it catches one right between the eyes, a scream ripped from his lips as he goes down.
My opponent a
nd I clash swords. His face is contorted in rage as if this battle is personal. He has so much hatred toward me, and I don’t understand why. The weight of his blade presses into mine, further pushing me back.
I twist to the side, pushing him off me in one movement. We separate, stalking each other in a circle like two predators.
“Blood scum. Should have never come back. Now you will die, and the general will praise me for taking your head,” he spits. His hands grip the hilt tighter, and the movement becomes his tell. He attacks a moment later, sword swinging in an arc. I meet it and attempt to get him off me quickly, but he anticipates the movement and manages to slash down on my arm.
Blood trickles from the wound, making it harder to hold my weapon. I will not waver or leave Anima to deal with these fanatics alone. I must be strong if only to get her away from here.
“Need help, Princep?” She saunters over, holding the severed head of a soldier by the hair.
“I do not. Why is it that you are always asking me that question?” I grit out, swinging my sword once more toward the soldier. He blanches at his comrade’s head clutched in Anima’s hand.
“You take too long to kill your prey. It gets boring watching you be so slow.” She throws the head toward him, allowing me to slide in and plunge my blade into his chest.
His mouth opens in shock as he drops his sword to his side. He attempts to clutch my blade, but I pull it free from his wet skin with a pop, and he crumples to his knees.
Anima marches over to him, pulling out her gun and pointing it directly at his head. She fires off a round, the crack making the birds fly up into the sky.
“It works.” She seems pleased as she replaces the safety and puts it back into its holster, turning to face me.
Her eyes blaze with playfulness. I know as soon as the adrenaline from the fights wears off, she’ll retreat, and I’ll lose her all over again.
“Why wouldn’t it?” I ask, wiping my blade on the fallen soldier.
“Wasn’t sure if mortal weapons worked here.”
“They do, same as Demon weapons work on the Mortal Realm. There truly are no differences between them except for its inhabitants. Magic flows through the galaxies, touching each plane. It’s the knowledge that separates us.”
Ari screeches above us, signaling the threat has been taken care of. Anima turns her face to the sky as I watch her. Her creamy skin is on display, the pulse of blood on her neck making me drool. My teeth elongate. For the first time since we entered this realm, I want to feed.
“Namir spoke to me. Inside my head. Is that something Ari does with you?”
“Yes, we share the bond as well. There are some other powers we share, but they are considered sacred, so I won’t disclose unless she wants me to. Demon creatures of Ari’s and Namir’s powers are respected above all others. For him to choose you…”
“Don’t tell me I’m special again. I’m an assassin, born of the darkness. There is nothing special about me because I don’t exist. Without my coven, I have no direction. After we kill Rahna, I will have no one.”
I start to object, but she puts up her hand. Our time for bonding has come to an end, and I don’t know how I can fix it.
She returns to camp, sword dripping with the blood of her enemies, and shoulders held high. I have no chance to be a part of her life again. A sense of hopelessness washes over me as I make my way over to my mount. This is going to be a long journey.
Anima
My heart is breaking. Everything I felt for Torque is so raw against my skin. It feels like I’ll burst apart at any moment.
Uriel returns to the camp with blue blood smeared across his black wings. His sword no longer carries the holy fire magic.
“The dragons are dead. Their riders, too. The general hasn’t spared any expense in training them. It was almost difficult this time.”
I laugh at his flippant use of the word difficult. If one angel can take on two dragons with holy fire, what will become of the earth when the witch wields Holy Magic?
I begin to pack up my supplies, returning them to the saddlebags. My mind races with all I’ve learned since I’ve been here. My power feels like a rush of water, destroying the very thing that I am. A force so powerful I don’t know if I can continue to contain it.
“Uriel.” I pull my mount up to his moments after we set out again. “Tell me about Holy Magic. How is it that I can wield it?”
The angel chokes on the water he’s been sipping. His eyes immediately snap to Torque. Apparently, the demon once again held back secrets.
“What do you mean you can wield Holy Magic? You’ve done it before?”
“Yes. Torque’s stolen magic. I was able to heal Mammon with it.”
He runs his hands through his hair, his eyes briefly closing. I take it this isn’t something I should be able to do.
“Who are your parents?” he asks, studying me like I’m the ultimate puzzle.
“I don’t know. Rahna raised me at the citadel. I’ve only ever been a Tenebris witch.”
“And you knew she could?” His inquiry is directed to Torque this time.
“Yes. When I realized what Rahna had done and that the contract was put on my head to gain the Holy Magic in my possession, I knew she had to have a reason for it. I began to look into the coven and anyone who stood out. Anima fit. She’s an anomaly. Her shadow is not a witch’s. She was just never told.”
Gritting my teeth, I ask, “What do you mean, not a witch’s?”
“I’ve explained that your smoke is demon magic. The ability to use the Holy Magic and the sigils come from the angels, and all that you were trained to become came from a witch. You are a tri-bred. You have to be. There is no other explanation.”
“It’s impossible. There is no way an angel would procreate with a demon. It’s impossible and unheard of.” Uriel’s anger starts to rise, but there is shock there also. He looks scared.
Without another thought, I swing my legs around and kick Torque off his nuckelavee. The horse rears and fire bellows from its mouth, but I’m too mad to care.
“This ends now, Princep. You will tell me everything, and it will be the truth.” I stalk over to where he lies on the ground wiping the blood from his lip.
Uriel jumps down after me and joins my tirade, using his magic to hold Torque against a nearby tree when he rises.
“You must understand my position. I have a kingdom to save! This wasn’t easy for me. Do you think I’d want to hurt you? Either of you?”
“I don’t know what to think right now except I want to make your face bloodier.” My punch makes his head snap back against the tree—a satisfying crunch sounding out.
“Anima,” he pleads. “You must understand. I did this for the good of both realms. Rahna is going to end everything. I won’t apologize for my part in this. She needs to be stopped, and you are the key to that.”
I punch him again, the blood flowing more freely. My chest heaves with anger and betrayal. I am not the key to anything. I am a dark witch, an assassin. I don’t matter.
“Tell us everything right now, Torque, or I will unsheathe my blade and make you the Blood King in death.” Uriel’s angelic eyes blaze with his fire, and it seems so familiar and comforting.
“She is an experiment.” His body seems to crumple inside itself, like it pains him to say it. “Rahna created her in a lab. Her genetic code is all three—angel, demon, and witch. She was the first step in Rahna’s plan to change the realms, except she didn’t realize Anima would be a good person. She expected her to be soulless.”
A choking sound leaves Uriel. He walks away, leaving me alone with Torque. His face is ashen, fueled with pain. I don’t think Torque would have ever told me if I hadn’t pressed him.
I’m numb. I can’t fully comprehend what he just said. How is this possible? I have no parents, only a genetic code that was made in a petri dish in a lab?
“Rahna had the ability to create the perfect soldier.” Not a question, a statement.
It all makes sense now—why she always pressed me to do better, the assignments, the favoritism, in her own way.
“She needed you to wield the magic. There is no other being in these realms who could shape the Holy Magic besides an angel. And you.”
A whoosh of air escapes my lungs as I walk away from him. It’s too much all at once. Our mission is completely off course. This isn’t about me. It’s about something else—something I’m not seeing.
“Uriel,” I say, making my way over to where the angel is settled on a nearby log. We haven’t made any progress this morning, but with only half the story told, our little band of misfits isn’t strong enough to continue.
“I didn’t know. I swear it.” His eyes show pain. A pain I didn’t expect from him.
“Didn’t know what?” Sitting on the log next to him, I lean forward, forearms braced on my thighs, gazed turned up to him.
“They’d use it to create you.”
A chill rushes up my spine as I really look at him for the first time since we began this journey. I knew he was keeping a secret as to why he left Nox, but I didn’t think he had a secret about me, too. How could he?
“I don’t understand. What did you do?”
“I gave Nox a piece of me. A piece an angel should never give away. A demon and an angel, especially two males, cannot procreate. We aren’t made to have children, but he wanted one so much. All I wanted was him.”
I lick my lips to soothe the dryness. His beautiful face is stricken with pain. A pain from long ago that I might have a hand in.
“How… how?” I don’t even know what to ask.
“A piece of my soul. Unlike humans, demons and angels are created when two souls mix together, and a piece is given to create another soul. It’s a lot like sperm and egg, but the mechanics are a bit different. Sex doesn’t have to be involved.”
“Are you saying I’m your creation?” The words tumble out of my mouth. This can’t be happening. I’m an orphaned witch who was left at the citadel’s doorstep.