by R C Knight
Dominick growled as he turned towards the door. He glanced at Aria and smiled, “I see you tonight.” He chuckled as he left the hut, letting the door slam shut behind him.
“So, what did we miss?” Cain chuckled as he looked at the group, his eyes sparkling with delight.
“Why is he seeing you tonight?” Ryder asked, his voice filled with confusion as he looked at Aria.
“He’s not,” she responded firmly, a look of disgust on her face. “And he never will.”
Cain laughed as he looked between Aria, Zane, and Ryder. “Ah, this is going to be fun.” He smiled as he looked at Abel. “Don’t you agree, brother?”
Abel shrugged wearily as he looked at Zane. “Please tell me you have a plan.”
“Of course, I do.” Zane smiled broadly as he pointed at the crude drawing on the floor. “And it involves a lot of fighting.”
“Perfect.” Cain smiled as he clapped a hand on Zane’s back. “That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.”
“Only problem is we can’t bring our own weapons into the Colosseum.” Zane sighed as he looked around the group.
“What if we sneak them in?” Bishop suggested. “We could hide them in the colosseum.”
“Too risky,” Zane muttered. “We don’t know what their security will be like.” He looked around the room, his eyes meeting each person. “Any other ideas?”
Kai’s dark blue eyes filled with excitement. “I think I have the perfect plan,” he responded enthusiastically, “but it will require I take all of your weapons to one of the ships.”
Ryder and Aria’s faces filled with understanding. “That will work,” Ryder responded. “As long as I am in the Colosseum to receive them.”
Zane looked back and forth between the angels, their faces filled with confidence. “Very well,” he sighed wearily as he ran a hand through his hair. “Now then, let’s plan the attack.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Heaven
It was then that God knew he could not save Lucifer. Laila sighed as she scanned through the book. Her mind was overwhelmed from her research, but nothing was sticking out to her. She sat quietly at her desk, her green eyes nonchalantly scanning the page in front of her.
“There’s nothing here,” she muttered wearily as she rested her head in her hands. “This is a waste of time.”
A soft knock sounded on her door.
“Come in,” she muttered, her mind in a fog. The door opened, and Michael stepped inside. His golden robes shimmered in the dull light of her chambers.
“I was worried when you hadn’t arrived at my chambers,” he spoke softly as he approached her. “I didn’t realize you had so much going on in the medical center that required you to stay so late.”
“It’s not for work,” she muttered as she turned towards Michael.
“Then what is it?” he asked as his eyes landed on the book she had open. He scanned the worn parchment, his green eyes analyzing it. “What book is this?”
“The Fall of Lucifer,” Laila responded wearily; her voice filled with exhaustion. “It was in a pile of books I was researching for Aria’s cure.”
“But Aria’s been cured. So why are you still going through it?”
“I don’t know.” Laila shrugged as she closed the book. “Selaphiel started acting weird after he saw it on my desk. I guess…” Laila paused, her voice weak. “It just, I don’t know. Made me feel nervous so I hid it and now I am going through it.”
“Have you found anything?” Michael asked, his voice filled with curiosity.
“No,” she sighed as she shoved the book away from her in frustration. “Nothing. There is absolutely nothing. We all know the story. God gave Lucifer a soul, it backfired, and Lucifer was banished. I don’t know what I thought I would find in here,” she muttered as she rested her head in her hands. “I just need to sleep.”
Michael rubbed his hand along her back, his eyes focused on the book. “Let me take you back to my chambers so you can rest,” he replied softly. “And if you’d like, I can take a look through the book for you. See if there is anything you missed.”
“Be my guest,” Laila muttered as she leaned back in her chair. “But for now, just take me to a bed.”
Michael chuckled as he gently picked her up. “As you wish.” He smiled as he carried her out of her chambers.
~~~~
Michael couldn’t help but smile as he watched Laila sleep peacefully in his bed. She seemed so small compared to the massive size of his mattress. Her breathing was soft and even, a small smile on her face. He gently brushed some of her dishwater blonde hair away from her eyes. He leaned down and softly kissed her forehead before getting off the mattress. He grabbed his golden robes and quickly put them on.
Michael walked softly across the room towards the door. He glanced back at Laila, a smile on his face as he watched her peaceful form. “I’ll be right back.” He whispered as he opened the door and quietly left the room. He made his way down the hallway and outside into the refreshing night air.
The sound of the crystal waterfalls filled the air while the stars sparkled brightly above him. He couldn’t help but admire how beautiful Heaven was. The holy light imbued in the marble of the medical center glowed softly against the dark, night sky. The massive building towered over Michael as he approached. He opened the door and was greeted by one of the healers.
“Michael.” She smiled as she stood up and bowed her head in recognition. “I didn’t expect to see you tonight.”
Michael smiled as he motioned for her to sit down. “I’m just grabbing something for Laila from her chambers,” he responded as he made his way down the corridor to her room. He opened the door and quickly let himself in. The room looked exactly like it had when they had left a few hours earlier. His lips curled into a smile as he remembered the fun they had had when they got back to his chambers. I can’t believe how lucky I am to have her, he thought to himself as he walked towards the desk. The now empty desk.
His green eyes scanned the desk. But it was here when we left, he thought as he scanned the rest of the chamber. Anger filled him as he left the room and made his way back to the receptionist’s desk.
“Did anyone else go into Laila’s chambers after we left?” he asked, his voice stern.
“Ah,” the healer muttered as she looked at her logbook. “No, not that I recall,” she whispered as she flipped through the parchment. “If someone did, it wasn’t noted on our paperwork.” She looked up at Michael, worry in her blue eyes.
“Alright,” he muttered as he turned towards the door. “Let me know if you remember anything.” He sighed as he left the medical center.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Earth
Their planning had taken a lot longer then he thought it would. Zane sighed wearily as he looked at the group around him. He could tell they were all exhausted. They had outlined a rough plan, but there was plenty of time for refinement. “So, is everyone on the same page?” He asked, his eyes lingering on Keira, her face filled with anger.
A chorus of yeses and grunts filled the air as everyone shifted uncomfortably. Clearly, they were all just as tired as him. “Good. We have a lot of training to do. I want everyone who will be taking the ships to start working on their manifests for the trip. Let’s meet up again in the morning to come up with a training plan.” Muttering filled the air as everyone prepared to leave.
“Kai.” Zane stopped him as everyone else started filing out of the hut. “Stay. I need to talk to you.”
“Sure,” Kai muttered as he left Ryder and Aria’s side and made his way over. They waited silently as the rest of the group left the hut. “What’s up?”
“I think we should have our little training session you talked about,” he muttered. “I want to get a head start on my self-control.”
“Sure,” Kai responded enthusiastically “Are you sure you’re up for it? You look exhausted.”
“I’m up for anything.” He sighed as he looked
around the empty hut. “Where do you want to do this?”
“Let’s find a clearing outside,” Kai responded, his dark blue eyes shining with excitement. “I’ve been itching for a fight.” He smiled as Zane chuckled darkly. He led the way out of the hut and made his way towards the back of the village, where a small sparing circle had been made. Kai walked towards one end of the circle and unsheathed his sword. He grasped it with both hands, the blade glowing softly with holy light.
“Great.” Zane smiled as he stood across from him. He unsheathed his sword, the runes glowed faintly with holy light. A black sheen had begun to form over the once bright blade.
“Looks like I need to put more holy light in your sword,” Kai muttered as he eyed the blackened blade.
“You can do that after our training.” Zane smiled as he squared his stance. “I need a fight just as much as you do, angel.”
Kai chuckled as he squared his stance to match Zane’s. “As you wish, human,” he chuckled. “Do you want me to use my elemental magick?”
“Of course.”
“Very well.” Kai sighed as he created a funnel of wind, having it wrap around him like a shield. Zane smiled as he ran forward, his strong legs carrying him quickly across the sparring circle. The wind hit him with the force of a train, knocking the air from his lungs. He growled as he focused his energy to his tattoos. His eyes flickered black for a second as he forced his way through the wind. He smiled as he brought his sword down, which Kai quickly blocked and countered.
“Very good!” Kai shouted, a smile on his face as he stopped the wind. “But not good enough.” He smiled as he released a gust of wind, it rose quickly from the ground and hit Zane square in the jaw, forcing his head back. Zane stumbled backwards as he shook his head. He laughed as he lunged forward, watching as Kai squared his stance in anticipation.
Not this time angel, he thought to himself as he rolled to the side, swung out his legs and stood up behind Kai. He brought his sword down and stopped it on the angel’s shoulder. “Got you,” he chuckled as Kai turned around, a smile on his face.
“You’ve gotten faster,” he said as Zane lowered his massive sword.
“I’ve been practicing on focusing my holy light to my tattoos,” Zane commented as he knelt to the ground, setting his sword down next to him.
“Whatever you’ve been doing, it’s definitely working,” Kai responded as he sheathed his sword and knelt next to Zane. He gently picked up Zane’s sword and focused, his hands glowing bright with holy light. “What the hell?” Kai muttered as he stared at the sword, the black sheen had spread, and the holy light wasn’t doing anything.
“What’s wrong?”
“I can’t imbue any more holy light into this sword.” Kai muttered as he tried to force the holy light into the metal. “I’ve never seen this before.”
“Huh,” Zane muttered as he grabbed the sword from Kai. “Maybe a single sword can only be imbued with holy light a few times.”
“Maybe,” Kai muttered; his eyes locked onto the sword with distrust. “But highly unlikely, you are carrying an Archangel’s sword after all… When did it start turning black?”
“I don’t know.” Zane shrugged nonchalantly as he sheathed his sword. “I guess I didn’t notice.”
“Huh,” Kai commented wearily as he looked up at the blood red moon. “Well, you’ve definitely learned better control. Which is good.”
“Yea.” Zane smiled as he looked at Kai. “Do you think I could learn more? I want to be able to wield it like a weapon. Like you guys do.”
“It might be possible.” Kai sighed as he ran a hand through his dirty blonde hair. “But first you need to build a stronger connection to your magick. I don’t want you to accidentally sever it by trying to do too much at once.”
“Alright,” Zane responded enthusiastically. “How do I strengthen my connection?”
“Sit down and close your eyes,” Kai responded.
“Really?” he replied as he raised his eyebrows, his blue-hazel eyes filled with disbelief. “You aren’t going to try any freaky shit, are you?”
“Just close your damn eyes,” Kai chuckled as Zane reluctantly squeezed his eyes shut.”
“Fine,” he muttered as he sat on the ground.
“Now.” Kai’s voice was soft. “Relax your body, take a deep breath in and release. Repeat until your whole body is relaxed.”
Zane did as he was told. Breathe in, breathe out, in and out. He continued until he felt his body relax. “Okay,” he mumbled.
“Now, focus your mind on your body,” Kai responded as he raised his arms. “I’m going to place my hands on your head to help you find your connection.”
“Great,” Zane muttered as Kai gently placed his hands on each side of Zane’s head. His hands began to glow softly as he sent holy light into Zane’s body.
“Now,” Kai said quietly. “You should see a faint glow of holy light spreading through your body.”
Zane focused, his mind searching through the inner workings of his body. There, right by his heart he saw the faint glow. “I see a glow,” he muttered. “But it’s only by my heart.”
“Okay,” Kai responded as he focused more of his holy light into Zane. “Focus on that spot and try to make it spread.”
Zane concentrated, his breathing shallow and even as he focused. He watched as the light became brighter, little tendrils began to form and wisp along his veins. “It’s spreading,” he muttered; his voice filled with exhaustion.
“Good,” Kai responded wearily as he removed his hands from Zane’s head. “You can stop now.”
Zane sighed with relief as he opened his eyes and looked at Kai. “That’s it?” he asked with disbelief.
“No. That’s the start,” he responded as he leaned back on his hands. “You need to do this every day and focus on spreading the holy light throughout your body. Only then, will you have a connection strong enough to use it as a weapon.”
“I see,” Zane muttered. “Do you have to do this as well?”
“Yea,” Kai responded quickly. “Although, since I am an angel, I was born with a stronger connection to my magick. Therefore, I only need to do it every now and then. Since you’re a Nephilim, it’s going to take longer to make a strong connection. You weren’t born with that innate ability to use magick like I was.”
“Is this what Aria has been doing?”
“Yea,” he responded wearily. “Since her connection was severed, she’s going to have to work on strengthening it, just like you. I’m honestly surprised she hasn’t disappeared on us to focus on training,” he chuckled. “After all, she’s been known to disappear for decades at a time to train.”
“Really?” Zane asked. “I didn’t think she was that serious about training.”
“Oh yea,” Kai responded as he met Zane’s eyes. “This is what she was born for. Every fiber of her being has been focused on becoming the best warrior. And she was. She could have easily taken on some of the Archangels, she went toe-to-toe with Raphael and held her own all the time. At least, before…” His words drifted off, the sadness in his voice becoming palpable.
“Yea,” Zane muttered. “Well.” He quickly stood up, avoiding eye contact with Kai. “We should get going. We do have training again in the morning.”
“Yea.” Kai sighed wearily as he stood up. “I hope you get some rest tonight. You look like shit.”
Zane chuckled as he shook his head. “Why thanks,” he sighed as he turned towards the village. “See you in the morning.”
~~~~
Zane’s body was exhausted as he pushed open the door to his hut. He sighed wearily as his eyes landed on Keira sitting on his makeshift bed, her arms crossed over her chest as she glared at him. “Can we talk about this later?” He asked as he set his sword down. “It’s been a long day.”
“No,” she responded; her voice laced with anger. “Are you trying to get rid of me?”
“Keira,” he sighed wearily. “We talked about this d
uring the meeting. I need you on the ship. You will be ineffective in the city. You haven’t trained for close combat.”
“Then train me,” she responded as she stood up and closed the distance between them. “I can learn.”
“We need to focus on improving our talents. I don’t have the time to train you in a new type of fighting style.” His voice rose with frustration. “You know this.” Keira glared up at him, her blue eyes filled with anger. “What’s this really about?”
“That angel bitch,” Keira grunted. “You take her everywhere you go! You said you only want me, but all you do is push me away.”
“Keira,” Zane sighed as he pulled her into his body. “You are the only one for me.” He moved his hand under her chin, gently lifting her face towards him. “My future is with you,” he muttered as he met her lips with his. Her body relaxed as she leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his neck as she returned his kisses with fervor.
Zane pulled her tightly against his chest as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He slowly moved towards his makeshift bed and lowered her to the ground. Her face was flushed, her blue eyes filled with lust as she stared up at him. “Now.” He smiled as he ran a hand under her shirt and rubbed her breast. “Let me show you just how much you mean to me.” Keira’s face lit up with a smile as he lowered himself on top of her, his lips finding hers once again.
Chapter Thirty
Earth
Aria sighed wearily as she made her way to her hut. The light of the moon shone brightly through the red mist, reminding her of how late it was. They had spent the entire day going over their plan for the Red Horseman, and she had to admit it, it was pretty flawless. A pang of guilt stung her heart as the image of Ryder’s face when Dominick had suggested she spend the night with him flittered through her mind. “He looked so heartbroken,” she muttered as she approached her hut. Don’t break his heart. Myra’s words echoed through her mind as she reached for the door handle. “That’s easier said than done,” she mumbled as she opened the door and froze.