by BJ Sheldon
“He won’t,” I said.
“The glow,” said Arna. “Has that ever happened to you before?”
“No. Never. But it felt amazing. I felt stronger than I’d ever felt before. My head was clear and everything seemed to come to a stop. I can’t describe it,” I said, shuffling my feet a bit, baffled at it all. “Do you know why it happened?”
He shrugged coyly. “I guess there are mysteries in life that even a Watcher still isn’t privy to.” I glanced at Arna and saw what appeared to be a smirk on his lips.
“What?” I asked. “What are you smiling at?”
“Nothing,” he replied. His attention was suddenly drawn elsewhere, his smirk replaced by a determined frown. “We have company coming.”
A group of enemy Hybrids had broken free and were racing in our direction. We knew, without exchanging words, that they were headed straight for me.
“Now’s a good a time as any to attack Azazel,” I said.
“Agreed,” said Arna.
“I’ll hold them off,” said Dorian.
I studied the men who were headed our way.
“There’s five of them and only one of you.”
“Your point?” he asked.
“You can’t take that many on.”
“I’ll hold them off while you and Arna handle Azazel. Besides, I’d just slow you down. No wings, remember?” Dorian pointed to his back, showing off his prominent lack of feathers.
“But—”
Dorian interjected. “No buts. Just go.”
Before I could react, he grasped the back of my neck and pulled me toward him, kissing me hard on the mouth. My knees buckled for a moment, but I quickly regained composure as I watched Dorian turn and run into the face of danger. He raced for the pack of Hybrids to cut them off, his sword raised. What could only be described as a startling war cry screeched from his lips.
For a split second I felt completely selfish. The human existence was at stake, and all I could think about was how my heart was breaking and how I might never see him again. Our romance had been brief, but it was one I’d waited multiple lifetimes for. One I doubted I could ever get over. I felt an elbow in my side. I finally turned my gaze from Dorian and looked over. Arna smiled, raising an eyebrow in my direction.
“So, you and Dorian then?” he asked.
“None of your business,” I barked.
Arna chuckled loudly, grasped the hilt of his sword, and pulled it out. He held it straight out and leapt into the air, unfurling his wings.
I followed suit, taking flight. Together we headed for Azazel’s vantage point.
Azazel was ready for us. The broadsword he held in his hand didn’t appear to be a typical weapon. Rather than finely sharpened steel, it appeared to be made of fire. Blue flames shot out from the golden, gem-encrusted hilt, steam rising from the combination of fire and the cold air surrounding us.
Our enemy didn’t move. His long hair blew in the cold breeze as he stood motionless waiting for us to come to him. The thought of fighting someone as powerful as Azazel terrified me. His size alone was staggering. How in the hell would I be able to defeat someone like that? He was a goddamn angel, straight from Heaven, and possibly one of the most powerful beings that ever existed. Panic began to well up in my gut when I happened to glance over at Arna. Knowing he would be fighting by my side alleviated my fears, but only just a bit. After all, the ancient Watcher towered over both of us.
How was I going to defeat someone who was at least three feet taller than me?
I’d have to cross that giant bridge when I got to it.
I looked back to see how Dorian was faring against his own foes. He had already taken out two of the other Hybrids and was working on the other three with apparent ease. My fingertips grazed my lips for just a moment. The kiss had been a goodbye, in the event that something happened. That I knew.
Sean was dead and Dorian would be leaving me soon enough, one way or another.
I pushed it all out of my head. There were bigger things to focus on.
Arna and I landed about twenty-five yards from where Azazel stood waiting. He looked even bigger up close, towering over both of us. The yellow glow emanating from him was still visible. He didn’t move. Instead, he waited.
I squinted.
“Do it again,” said Arna.
“Do what?” I asked, talking out the side of my mouth, never looking away from the enemy.
“Glow.”
“Yeah. Let me get right on that,” I chided sarcastically. “I can’t just turn it off and on like a light switch.”
“Actually, I think you can. You just have to concentrate. Try.”
I rolled my eyes and jerked my head in Arna’s direction to make sure he saw the ridicule on my face.
Arna lowered his head. I thought, perhaps, he was praying. But I was wrong.
Suddenly, Arna’s body gave off a glow similar to Azazel’s. It grew brighter by the second, causing me to look away for a moment. When I turned back, I noticed he’d begun to grow in size. I watched in utter amazement as he quickly matched the enemy’s size.
Of course, I thought. He’s an angel, a Watcher.
I’d read enough books on the topic of angels to know they had the ability to take any form they wished. They could shrink themselves down to normal human size, rid themselves of their wings, and even completely change their appearance. It was how they’d managed to seduce the human women of Earth in the beginning, creating the giant Nephilim in the first place.
Arna’s voice brought me back to the moment at hand. “Skyy. Concentrate. It’s time you joined us. You have the power to glow, the power to stop all of this.”
“I’m just a Hybrid. I don’t have the power you have,” I said, shooting a nervous glance between both Watchers. My eyes tried to hide my insecurity from Azazel’s prying glare.
“You’re not a Hybrid.”
“What?”
Arna glanced down at me.
“You must know you are more than that. You possess the wings of an angel. You have proven to yourself time and again that you are immortal. Hybrids have Nephilim fathers and human mothers. You are no Hybrid.”
“Then what am I?” I asked.
“You’re a Watcher.”
I tried to respond. I tried to form words, but the sounds remained stuck in my throat.
“I’m a what?” I finally sputtered out.
“Your mother was a Hybrid. But your father was a Watcher. You were always planned. You were born to fulfill a prophecy. You were born to stop Azazel from raising his Fallen allies.”
“Wait. I was bred to fight a war?”
“When you say it like that, it sounds bad,” said Arna.
“I don’t think it matters how it’s said. A Watcher seduced my mother for the sole purpose of creating a child to fight a future battle to save the earth. You can say it a million different ways, and it would still sound despicable.”
“You’re taking this well.”
“I was bred like a champion stallion. How else did you think I’d take it? Did you think I’d celebrate by doing cartwheels and hugging bunnies?” I paused. “Who’s my father?”
“No one knows,” Arna replied.
“No one knows? That’s bullshit. Someone has to know,” I said.
“There are only two who know that secret. Your mother and your father. They both knew that if anyone found out the secret to your true origins, your life would have been even more complicated than it was already destined to be.”
Arna saw the look of uncertainty on my face and continued.
“Your mother knew who he was and what he was from the beginning. And she also knew how important you were going to be in this world. They created the story about your father being human to ensure no one ever caught on to what you were.”
“I was nothing more than an arrangement then. An arrangement between two willing parties,” I said.
“No. It may have started out as an arrangement, but that isn’t how it stayed. She
loved him. And he was passionately in love with her. He also knew her time on earth was limited and that nothing he did could ever protect her from her inevitable end. They enjoyed each other while they could and spent every moment together as long as fate allowed. They married in a small ceremony, you were conceived, and he said goodbye. It’s the way things had to be.”
My mind was a blur of information and epiphanies. It should have been focused on Azazel, but instead it was working hard to comprehend everything Arna had just told me.
“How do you know all of this?”
Arna smiled, but said nothing.
But his expression quickly changed. He lowered his brow and narrowed his eyes as he focused his attention on Azazel.
“We can discuss this later. But now, it’s time to fight.” Arna reached down and placed his hand on my shoulder. “It’s time to fulfill your destiny.”
Arna gripped his sword and rushed toward Azazel.
I was a spectator as I stood back and watched the two Watchers battle it out. Their weapons clashed together loudly, nearly causing the earth beneath my feet to quake. It was violent and intense. And I wondered if I was even needed at all.
Maybe if I just sat back and waited, Arna would finish it for me. Maybe he could defeat Azazel and end it.
But something in the back of my mind told me that wouldn’t be the case. The prophecy stated that only I could defeat the Fallen and keep them where they belonged.
It’s time to fulfill your destiny, I told myself.
I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and concentrated. I wasn’t sure what to concentrate on or even what to think about. So, I tried to clear my mind. But instead, images of Lillith and Sean flooded my thoughts—their sacrifices for the greater good and their contribution to the survival of humanity. And I thought about Dorian. He’d shown me there was more to life than just existing. He’d shown me that a life without love wasn’t an existence, and that I needed to open myself up and allow myself to feel. That living in seclusion was the same as death.
And I thought of my mother. I pictured her smile. Her eyes. Her loving expression whenever she’d looked at me.
Then I pictured something else.
I saw my father.
There were times over the years, in my visions, where I’d seen what I thought could have been glimpses of him. But it was never clear enough for me to make out his features. And even if I’d gotten a good look at him, I would have had no idea who he was.
But suddenly, he was standing there in my mind, allowing me to see him in all his glory. There was no question he was my father. I just knew. It was a feeling I wouldn’t have been able to describe if someone asked.
He was dressed in dark robes with a silver breast plate. His face was handsome, and his features were sharp. Prominent cheekbones and a square jaw were merely a backdrop for the artfulness of his eyes which glowed the brightest blue I’d ever seen. If men could be beautiful, he certainly would have been at the top of the list.
I didn’t recognize him. I’d never seen him before, and I was certain I would have remembered that face.
And I suddenly wondered why he wasn’t a part of the ongoing battle below. If he was as powerful as he appeared to be, and if he had a part in creating me—the very person who was to save humanity—I wondered why he didn’t join the fight.
I felt strange, as if something was wrong. I opened my eyes and looked down at my hands. They started to shimmer. I glanced down at my body and braced myself as I felt something stir within my chest.
As if someone flipped a switch, an energy from somewhere within manifested itself in light, causing me to glow brightly, even more powerfully than before.
But something inside me told me I was capable of more. That I had far more power than I realized.
I concentrated and willed myself to grow.
As if on cue, my entire body began to expand, growing and stretching proportionally, until I was just as statuesque as Arna and Azazel.
I had the ability to increase in size, the same ability the Watchers had.
In that moment, I knew I could defeat my enemy.
My destiny was about to be fulfilled.
Chapter 27
My sword glowed just as it had when it first appeared to me, flames emanating and licking the air around it. I could feel an unexplainable power surging through me. My hand firmly gripped the hilt, my eyes following Azazel’s every move. My inner courage was matched only by my outer strength. I felt more powerful than I ever had before.
Unbeatable.
“Arna!” I yelled. “Stand down.”
The Watchers continued to battle, wielding their swords.
“Azazel. It’s me you want! Fight me!” I shouted.
At my urging, they stepped back from one another and were instantly distracted by my appearance.
I was now eye-to-eye with them both. Even my sword had increased in size to match my grip and power.
Arna grinned and nodded. He crouched down momentarily and then bolted straight up into the air, flying off into the direction of the ongoing Hybrid conflict.
“Are you ready to admit you have daddy issues?” I asked. “Is that why you’re so angry?”
Azazel gave me an odd look, as if he didn’t understand my humor.
“Daddy issues. You know you’re upset with God, trying to take out his human creation and killing off mortals to get his attention,” I explained off-handedly. Azazel’s blank-faced look told me he still didn’t get it. “If I have to explain it, it’s clearly not funny. Either that, or you’re just an idiot.”
That insult Azazel understood. He flew at me in a rage, sword at the ready.
I blocked his strike, but I hadn’t quite been prepared enough for how strong he was. I stumbled back before I found my balance.
He was beyond powerful, and for a split second, I wondered if I was capable enough to take him on. But that thought disappeared just as quickly as it had arrived once I felt the energy of the sword in my hand, giving me back my confidence.
My bare feet felt the hard ground below. The dirt between my toes and the land around me belonged to the humans. And it reminded me exactly why I was fighting and who I was fighting for.
I whirled my sword around in the palm of my hand, playfully preparing for the fight of my life. Our gazes met, and we squared off. I advanced hard and fast, not allowing Azazel any time to think about how to defend himself.
When struck together, the sound of our swords rang through the Badlands. It was almost musical each time a deadly strike was blocked by the other’s weapon. And our brawl was closer to a dance than a fight; each of us expertly wielded our sword as our footwork moved us in a constant circle.
We continued to battle, both of us evenly matched. I started to think it could go on forever, neither of us making any progress in the conflict.
I heard a commotion below. There was screaming and shouting coming from some of the Hybrids who had found their way to the base of our overlook. I ignored the uproar, swinging and thrusting with my sword, attempting to find the chance I needed to defeat him.
A familiar voice cried out. I didn’t dare look, not wanting to look away from my enemy. Blow after blow, I blocked every move Azazel made, but the noise was becoming a huge distraction. I suddenly realized that the screams were meant to get my attention.
I backed away and glanced down over the ledge.
Dorian was lying on his back directly over the burial site, held down by four of Azazel’s men.
“If you wish to save your friend, you will bring the sword and give up this fight,” shouted the one holding Dorian by his right arm.
“No!” Dorian yelled. “Don’t! I’m dead anyway.”
I looked over at Azazel and back at Dorian. My emotions churned.
They’d already taken Lillith and Sean. And they planned to take Dorian as well.
My confidence quickly waned as I gazed down at the scene. He was going to die anyway and soon. It made sense to leave
him and let them kill him. He probably wanted it that way.
To die in battle.
But while it was true that Dorian was destined to die on his own any day, I didn’t have it in me to allow someone I loved to die if I could prevent it.
Azazel seemed to sense my conflict. I could hear him laugh acerbically as I flung out my wings and flew as fast as I could toward the burial site.
I was careful to land a ways away from Dorian and his captors.
“Let him up,” I demanded.
None of his captors moved. But they each had a look of fear in their eyes.
From a distance, I might not have looked so menacing. But up close, my nearly nine foot stature was, I’m sure, quite intimidating.
“Let. Him. Up.” I emphasized each word with a thunderous boom.
They loosened their grip on Dorian and allowed him to stand. But, one of them held a knife to Dorian’s neck. I might have intimidated them, but they weren’t complete cowards. And I was positive that they were far more afraid of Azazel than they were of me.
“Give us the sword,” said one of them.
“No,” I replied defiantly.
The knife tightened against Dorian’s neck.
“Give us the sword. Or he dies.”
“Skyy. No. There’s no point. I’m dead anyway,” Dorian stammered.
His abductors jerked his head back to silence his words.
Dorian continued to mouth no. I knew he was willing to die.
But I wasn’t willing to be the reason why.
“I’m not giving you the sword,” I said. “But you release him, and I’ll open the prison below.”
Dorian’s captors glanced cautiously at one another.
It was clear they didn’t know what to make of my deal.
Azazel was suddenly present, landing on the other end of the burial site. His smile was broad. He looked pleased with himself.
“Do what she says,” he said amiably, motioning toward his men with a nod of his head.
They removed the knife from Dorian’s neck and let go.
Dorian stood there defiantly for a few seconds, glaring at the Hybrids who had captured him. And then, rather than run off, he bravely sauntered over to my side and stood behind me.