One Crown & Two Thrones: The Prophecy

  “Locksbrook cemetery and Bath Abbey cemetery are the only two left to search,” Galean said as brought the collar of his coat up about angular face.

  “Bath Abbey Cemetery is to the south and Locksbrook cemetery is to the north according to this map,” Jophiel said as she unravelled the old map that she had found in Mary’s library. Galean looked down at the map for a brief moment. He knew they could not afford to visit both.

  “We need to choose one fast,” he said darkly. “There isn’t much time left, we have spent nearly an hour searching.”

  “My head is telling me that we should head to Locksbrook, but…,” Jophiels eyes lifted to meet his own gaze. “Something else is telling me that it’s too obvious, that if Lagmar intends on killing Eveline he would not do so in such an obvious place.”

  “I think you may be right,” Galean mused thoughtfully. “The more I think about it the more I agree with you,” Galean said with a slight smile as Jophiel shuffed the map into her pocket.

  “It will take us at least thirty minutes to walk there, twenty five if we run.”

  “Jophiel you remember how to pick a lock don’t you?” Galean quizzed, his gaze settled upon a black car that lay quietly across the street. Jophiel followed her friends gaze and shrugged.

  “I suppose I do, yes. Why?”

  “I don’t think we can spare twenty to thirty minutes, I do think however that we must borrow that car,” Galean pointed to the car and turned his eyes to Jophiel, a light misting of mischief within them. “What do you think?”

  “That would be stealing,” Jophiel said with knowing eyes and a stern look, her hands laden upon her hips for added affect.

  “You know I wouldn’t ask it of you if it was not for good reason,” Galean replied with a desperate plea.

  “I know,” Jophiel rolled her eyes and crossed the street, closely followed by Galean. Quickly she scanned the area to make sure they were quiet alone. When feeling they were safe she took out one of her hair pins and begin to pick away at the lock, whilst Galean leaned his body against the frame of the car, looking up into the star filled sky. He was in quite a conundrum; if he had not been exiled, how easy it would have been to herald aid. But he had indeed been exiled and at times like these it left him vulnerable and at a great disadvantage. So many trains of thought filled his mind, what would he do when he finally came face to face with Lagmar? How could he and Jophiel aid their friends when outnumbered and outmatched? He could not deny that he had been secretly harbouring a need to one day face his nemesis and have vengeance, but in the company of his fellow shadows, Lagmar could not be touched. What disturbed Galean the most was the conflict within him. A huge part of him would gladly give up his life in order to preserve Eveline’s, but and it was a big but; Galean had a duty to his father and subjects, to protect them from the oncoming war that gave shadow to the lands of Meer. If he gave up his life for Eveline, his Kingdom and his people would be consumed by the lingering shadow of war and all that his father and his father had built, would be torn down and cast to the four winds without a second glance. And yet, without her there would be no hope of reclaiming the southern kingdoms and worse still, he would find himself immobile without her alive, even if not by his side.

  “Galean?” a soft voice brought him back from his worries and doubts.

  “Sorry, my mind was elsewhere,” Galean whispered.

  “Yes that was obvious,” Jophiel smiled. “Come I’ve opened the car.”

  “What would I be without you,” Galean said aloud as he followed her into the car and closed the door.

  “I’d hate to think what would become of you without my wise head,” Jophiel said in jest as she brought the car to life. Galean placed a hand over her own and squeezed it lightly.

  “I would have still been wandering about an isolated and lonely place if it had not been for your kindness and understanding.”

  “Such compliments tonight,” Jophiel laughed heartily, in spite of the pain that absorbed her, the images of Mary, Estelle and her friend’s dead bodies teasing her.

  “I should have told you a long time ago,” Galean said sombrely as they drove through the isolated streets of Bath.

  “You have done as much if not more for me Galean,” Jophiel said seriously as she turned a corner and drove over the river.

  “We will need to scan the area first, if they are indeed at St Mary’s we cannot just walk in freely,” Galean lectured as he opened his coat and took out his knifes placing them into the pockets of his coat. “There is a good chance they will be waiting for us, it may be trap in which to lure us to them.”

  “Why?”

  “The prophecy,” Galean said quietly. “If Lagar believes it to be true then I suspect part of his plan will be to ensure I am dead so as not to allow the prophecy to bear fruits.”

  “The luring of the lamb,” Jophiel mused with furrowed brows.

  “Exactly.”

  “I suspect Lagmar will want to have his revenge?”

  “Yes.”

  “So Lagar really has put a lot of thought into tonight.”

  “Yes, so it would seem.” Galean’s shoulders tensed as he looked out of the car window, seeing his reflection in the glass and sighing heavily.

  “Seems like he has put all his eggs in one basket, wouldn’t you agree?”

  “That or he intends on killing one bird with two stones.”

  The car fell silent as they both digested their thoughts. Galean understood now the plan that had been set. He indeed was the lamb and his love for Eveline, Theodore and Belle had lured him into the lion’s den. Suddenly the car stopped and Galean fell forward, placing his hands on the dashboard.

  “Jophiel!”

  “Sorry it’s just,” Jophiel turned to him with terrified eyes.

  “What?”

  “The more I think about the prophecy the more I realise that your entering that graveyard will surely mean death and nothing else,” Jophiel whispered, her head aching with stress.

  “I know,” Galean answered with sad eyes and an equally sombre tone.

  “Galean, the prophecy states that man will try to part what does not belong to him.”

  “That could mean a number of things Jophiel, not necessarily Cael,” Galean lectured quietly, his voice and expression betraying his inner doubts.

  “Galean don’t play the fool,” Jophiel said angrily. “You have seen for yourself how Cael has abruptly altered.”

  “Cael is not one of them, he loves Eveline,” Galean said loudly, running his fingers through his hair, moist with the remnants of snow.

  “The one thing that sets you and Cael apart is that you know when to let go,” Jophiel said with feeling. “Cael doesn’t, he sees everything as some sort of game in which he is always the loser. His biggest problem is jealousy, we both know that.”

  “Cael would never hurt Eveline, that is not who he is,” Galean said darkly, closing his eyes briefly to let the wave of nausea to pass. “As jealous and envious as he can be.”

  “I don’t now Galean, I have a bad feeling about this,” Jophiel said with a disgruntled breathe. “This is me saying that the man I love is capable of doing something terrible because of his pride.”

  “He is an angel Jophiel, he is on our side.”

  “Even angels have their flaws.”

  “I know, but we are angels that share in a common cause,” Galean said as he opened his eyes, bright and filled with anxiety. “Cael gave you up so that he could be a part of that cause Jophiel.”

  “I know, I can’t explain it, I just feel it.”

  Galean laid another hand on Jophiels.

  “Jophiel you have had a traumatic evening and God only knows what is to come,” He lifted her chin with his other hand, his gaze infiltrating her own. “We have to stand united, we have to have faith in one another if we are going to get through it alive. Cael has his flaws that I admit, as do we all. But he loves Eveline, it is his jealousy on behalf of that love that has seen him alt
er in the last few weeks. We must have faith in that jealousy, that it protects our Kings granddaughter. If that means having to make sacrifices then so be it, she is our only hope do you realise that?”

  “Yes,” Jophiel whispered, her lips quivering slightly.

  “She is the only one who can stand against Lagar, the only one who can destroy Heidan and more importantly she is the heir to Heaven and Calnuthe, the land of her people who are bound by chains of oppression and war. Lagar wants Cael to use his anger towards me as a weapon and I should have been wise enough to realise that, instead I too being flawed as I am have been too wrapped up in myself.”

  “There is a darkness that lingers within Cael, I being in love with him have been blinded to it,” Jophiel said with tear filled eyes. “However he is not like a shadow and there is still much good in him that I know and love.”

  “There is a darkness within all of us Jophiel, trust in him as I do,” Galean said gently. “When cornered by temptation he has always come out stronger and defiant.”

  “I hope so,” Jophiel said.

  “Hope is like a seed, when planted it will grow strong under the sun’s rays.”

  “Unless planted in the shade.”

  “Come we haven’t got time for riddles,” Galean said letting go of her hand and chin and turning once again in his seat as Jophiel drove on. The rest of the journey went by in silence as both angels prepared themselves for the fight that awaited them. When finally they arrived, Jophiel parked the car away from the gates, guarded by two shadows, who stood tall and monstrous.

  “How are we going to get in?” Jophiel asked as they looked through the car window which was beginning to mist over as a new flurry of snow began to fall.

  “This is Prior road and I believe there is another entrance to the west,” Galean said as he rolled on his leather gloves. “We’ll keep the car here and walk.”

  “Okay,” Jophiel said as she put on her hat and took out her own two daggers.

  “Ready?”

  “Yes.”

  *

  Theodore awoke from his sedated sleep and tried to focus his gaze. He could feel the warmth of the lit beacons that lined the surrounding of the mortuary upon his skin and flinched. When he found focus he found himself staring up into a pair of red eyes.

  “Where am I?” Theodore asked groggily as he tried to sit up. Instantly he turned his head and found that his hands had been bound.

  “How nice of you to awaken Cael, just in time too,” Lagar smiled as he walked about the stone table, his long, pale fingers trailing along the stone.

  “I don’t understand?” Theodore replied, his eyes settling upon another body. “Belle!”

  “Ah yes, she is unfortunately tied up in our little episode, how very unfortunate for her,” Lagar said with unsympathetic eyes. “However it does add a little spark of entertainment to our already very entertaining night, wouldn’t you agree?”

  “Who are you?” Theodore asked, his stomach turning to ice under his abductors gaze.

  “I am the night. I am the opposite. I am the tongue of fire. I am the King of the underworld, the wielder of all that lingers beneath the shade of the sun,” Lagar rhymed off as though bored. “Who do you think I am servant of light?”

  “Heiden has no opposite, He created the night, gave life to fire and is the eternal giver of light, serpent!” Theodore spat.

  “When I was but a mere boy, your God had not yet been,” Lagar said with a hiss, turning and curling his fingers into the stone, bending his face down low. “I am in this life longer than He and will always be.”

  “Life gives birth to life, just as God gives life to another, stronger and more powerful than you!” Theodore said aloud amid this sniggering of the shadows that surrounded him.

  “And yet your God would see you parted from your wife, why?” Lagar smiled. “Because you are beneath Him, you are unequal to His bloodline, nothing but a grain of dust to be blown to the seven corners of the universe. How pathetic!” Lagar said with venom, his burning red eyes devouring Cael’s bright blue gaze. “How it must feel to bow before a God that turns his head from you, how it must feel to know that your wife’s heart belongs to another, another greater and more powerful than you will ever be. A prince, a King.”

  “Your words have no power over me creature!” Theodore said with spite, for the words spoken had plunged into the depths of his jealous nature, his pride and all-consuming envy. Lagar turned away from Theodore and laughed aloud, prompting the rest of the shadows to laugh along with him in unison. Lagar strode away into the crowd, holding a hand high into the air causing the mortuary to fall silent. Theodore looked over at Belle, who was now awakening from her darkened sleep. A gentle cry shot out into the air as she awoke, her tiny body bound to the stone table. “Belle look at me!” Theodore cried out the child he had willingly ignored over the last two weeks, jealous of the friendship she had formed with Eveline and Galean. Belle turned her terrified eyes to Theodore and let out a cry. “It’s alright, I won’t let them harm you.”

  “I won’t let them harm you,” Lagar teased aloud prompting another wave of nefarious laughter to erupt. Theodore tried to free himself of the chains that bound him to the table but cried out in defeat as he realised it was useless. They were not ordinary chains, chains of which he as an angel would have easily have broken apart. The chains used were made out of the ashes of the dead, an incredible power lay within them making them unbreakable to angels like himself, angels of a lower class. This realisation, a realisation that Lagar himself had presented to him, drained through him, causing a flame of anger to come to life.

  “She is innocent, she has no part in this!” Theodore pleaded loudly as Lagar came back into view, walking in front of a woman very similar to his wife. “Eveline?”

  “Cael,” Eveline smiled, her eyes black and her face changed. Theodore furrowed his brows and felt his heart stop. She was not herself, she stood tall and magnificent instead of fragile and terrified as he would have expected her to be when faced with Lagar, Lagmar and the rest of the shadows.

  “Eveline you need to help Belle!” Theodore begged as his wife came to stand before him, her head slightly tilted to the side as though observing him keenly.

  “You lack Galean’s strong features you know,” she said with gentle laugh. “You lack many things in comparison to Galean, but you know that already, yes?”

  “Eveline you’re not yourself,” Theodore said gently as she walked around the three stone tables, stopping for a brief second to glance down at the crying child.

  “How can you tell husband?”

  “Eveline, you need to help Belle, you love her,” Theodore tried to argue but was met with a hiss.

  “Love, love, love,” she said darkly, her body moving in an unusual manner, very unlike her flowing self. Her voice was bereft of her usual gentle tone and replaced by an almost manly tone, dark and crisp. “Love killed my parents, love bound me to you and love…,” she came to him and hovered over him, her black eyes sparkling. “Brought me to him; my equal and my destiny… What do you have to say for love now little man?”

  “Love brought us together,” Theodore whispered. “You are a product of love and through you the remnants of that love flow like a raging river so that all you touch comes to life,” Theodore said quietly, his fingers finding the linen material of her bloodied nightdress.

  “Words, words, words,” Eveline laughed. “Speak the truth angel!”

  “I do speak the truth Eveline!” Theodore shouted back as she pressed the tip of her index finger into the centre of his forehead, causing an agonising rush of pain to circulate about his body.

  “You are no better than a jealous little man, always wanting to be better than those around him, always wanting what he wants no matter the cost, no matter the consequences,” Eveline spurted out. “While you lay with me in bed your mind thought only of your first love and how it would feel to have her body beneath your own. I’m right aren’t I?” Sh
e pressed her finger down into his forehead causing him to scream out. “Say it!”

  “Yes!” Theodore cried out, a tear falling from his eye as the blinding pain made him retch.

  “Such an honourable man my husband!” Eveline said aloud to the surrounding crowd. “So moody and jealous, unable to see me in the arms of another man, yet dreaming to be in the arms of another woman.”

  “Eveline it isn’t like that!” Theodore whispered so quietly that she did not hear amid the hissing and laughing that filled the circular room. Belle was looking over at him with helpless eyes, confused and disoriented. Theodore smiled at her with love, anger curling within him. “What have you done to my wife?”

  “Unlocked her true nature that is all,” Lagar shrugged, as Nagtium curled around his neck, hissing loudly. “With the help of my ever so faithful Nagtium.”

  “Eveline listen to me, this isn’t you,” Theodore cried out, trying desperately to rid himself of the chains, trying to reach her, wherever she was within herself.

  “Do you know why I married you?” Eveline whispered with menacing eyes.

  “Because you loved me,” Theodore returned with defiance, his fingers holding onto the slight piece of material with hope.

  “I pitied you,” Eveline said with clarity, her lips white along with the rest of her. Theodore shook his head.

  “No,” he whimpered as he searched her face for any sign of his wife. “No you married me without coercion.”

  “How could I break your selfish little heart, always pleading, always wanting more than it could have,” Eveline spat, her ice white lips touching his warm skin. Theodore tried to constrain himself from the pain of her words, warned himself to beware of the serpents tongue that had violated his wife’s mouth. Her veins were black along with her wide and terrifying eyes, the affect causing Theodore, an angel of Heiden to shake with terror. Lagar had exploited her power and in his turn created a monster, greater than the serpent himself.

  “Eveline don’t you remember?” Theodore whispered with urgency. “Don’t you remember who you are?”