Wings of The Wraith

by Khardine Gray

  I did not feel good about that and I still wasn’t ready to accept it.

  What made me accept some level of it, was what I’d seen so far.

  I knew it was real and while I’d thought insanity had come for me, I knew what I saw really did happen.

  Balmora, Dante, Aurora, the castle, the shifting scenery. The men on the airship. The people who were after me.

  It was all real.

  All of it.

  I looked up syphons and found records of five. That was it. Putting together what Grandma had told me and what I read, I’d deduced our bloodline had chosen five people to be syphons. I was the sixth so far. The last one lived two hundred years ago and died when she sacrificed herself to seal a breach in hell.

  I didn’t want my life to come to that.

  We’d been on this journey now for hours.

  I set the book I was reading down on the table and looked toward the door to my bunk. That was still there despite the illusion of the library.

  The minute I moved to the door the library disappeared.

  It was fine, I’d read enough. My poor brain didn’t want to take in anymore.

  I left the bunk and made my way back to the bridge where Neo and Zeek were talking about some game.

  It was night now, so a whole day had gone by. I didn’t disturb them. Instead I walked out to what looked like a balcony and as I proceeded my surroundings turned into the night sky with all the stars cascaded against it.

  I knew I was still inside the ship and this was another illusion, but it was a good one.

  “Finished reading?” Dante asked.

  I didn’t see him before. He was standing on the level just above me leaning on the rails.

  “I think so,” I answered.

  “Come up here.”

  I looked for the stairs and made my way up.

  He turned to face me when I reached him and smiled.

  “You brought the night inside the ship?” I chuckled looking around.

  “I like night. I like stars.”

  “I used to be able to name all of them.”

  “I really doubt that. No one can name all the stars.” A smile danced on his lips.

  “Okay, all the stars that can be seen from earth.” I offered remembering all the realms.

  “You can see the same stars in any realm, it just depends on the alignment. In some realms you can see more. The veil is a lot thinner.”

  “Realms. And, veils. I still can’t get my head around it.”

  “You haven’t had enough time to do anything of the sort.” He pointed out.

  I was glad he said that because I was starting to think I was expected to grasp and accept all of this newness and be okay with it.

  “Have you always been a part of it?” I knew that angels were people once. Very good people who were chosen to do God’s work because they were so good. But Grandma said sometimes other magical beings were chosen too.

  “Seems like always. It’s been long enough. So long I can’t remember. I do know it took me more than two days to grasp and I had more help. I also didn’t have to travel on an airship to the shadowlands because evil was after me.”

  I appreciated his understanding. Staring at him now I felt that spark again. That spark I wanted to ignore but found irresistible.

  It was like it called to me. an unwelcomed blush crept up my cheeks and I tried to push my thoughts aside.

  “Where are we now?” I asked swallowing hard against the lump that formed in my throat.

  Catharis was in the woodland realm. What I didn’t know was if we’d come out of it.

  “We’ll leave Catharis shortly, and then we’ll pass through the human realm where we’ll get to the portal.”

  “And then we’ll be open for attack, right?”

  “Don’t worry about that.”

  “Really? Are you kidding?” I felt that something bad was going to happen. I was too anxious. Every time I got anxious like this something bad would follow, something beyond my control. “You think they’re just going to allow you to take me. They know you have me. If they find out we’re going to the Shadowlands, what’ll happen then?”

  He walked over to me and put out his hand for me to take. I took it and he ushered me closer to the rail.

  Once there he snapped his fingers and more stars appeared. Bright stars, and different colors. Luminous pinks, bright blues and green sparkled in radiance above us.

  To say it was beautiful didn’t feel like it was enough of a description.

  “What did you do?” I beamed looking at everything, trying to commit it to my memory.

  “This is what it used to look like. Long before I was even alive.”

  I looked back to him and wondered how old he was.

  “When was that?” We were kind of talking about that before I asked where we were.

  “I was a Templar Knight. I died in the crusades.”

  My lips parted. “Really? The crusades as in the crusades that were like eight hundred years ago?”

  “Yes. I’m a lot older than you.” He grinned that sexy grin that made my knees turn to water. “Angels take on whatever age they were during the prime of their life. I died when I was thirty-six.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be, as you can see, I’m very much alive.” His smile widened. “There is the star I gave you earlier. It was called Tara.” He pointed, and I looked ahead.

  Amongst a cluster of pink stars was mine. It shone a pink and white color; brilliant in the sky and vibrant.

  Seeing it made me smile again.

  He snapped his fingers again making every single star except mine disappear, then he zoomed in so that I could see it closer.

  It was fascinating.

  It was true, I never expected to spend my birthday with all manner of crazy things happening to me, but I liked this part.

  When I looked back to him, he was already looking at me with wide expectant eyes.

  “You, um... didn’t answer my question properly earlier.” I was curious. My good old curiosity always got the best of me.

  “Which one, you had many.”

  “What’s in this for you?”

  He thought for moment and pulled in a breath. “When I was possessed by the wraith demon I managed to break out of the possession. Because I’m a sentinel. However, the essence was still left in me. That’s why the tips of my wings are black. Soon it will all be like that, and full possession will take place. I don’t know when it will happen, but it will. Unless I can get to a place called Kolai, and change the past.”

  Change the past. Wow that was another new concept.

  “Where is that?” I assumed it must be another strange land from some realm.

  “It’s more of when. When is it. Kolai is a place that exists on memories, fragments of the past and present. Things that have already happened, or is happening. Few have successfully found it.”

  “How do you find it?”

  “I had to collect some items that were necessary for me to get there, but I will only find it when I’m considered to be pure of heart.”

  That sounded like some kind of riddle.

  “What is classed as that?”

  “I don’t know, but that is where you come in.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him, not quite understanding. “How? I can’t do anything.”

  “Something about you will make me pure of heart.”

  Right, I got it now. I understood and somehow, I felt a little off. He really was getting something out of protecting me. Everyone else was doing it because they either loved me or they wanted to save the world.

  “Well, I haven’t said thanks before, so I’m saying it now. Thank you for saving me. Maybe that will be enough to get you want you want. Sacrifice. I don’t know, maybe you sacrifice sex or something and –”

  Before I could even finish my rant, which I knew was bizarre, his lips smoothed over mine.

  His lips smoothed over mine, and my mind became v
oid of thought, scorched clean from the fire that rushed over my entire body.

  Maybe it was because it was him, what he was, and what I was, but I couldn’t remember feeling this way — ever — from just a kiss.

  My nerves scattered, and the endings spiked like there really was fire blasting through me. And...just when I thought I couldn’t feel any better, I did.

  His tongue swept into the recesses of my mouth and tangled with mine and warmth surrounded my body. Warmth that turned hot, and I could feel everything he felt. I could hear his thoughts and his desire for me.

  I panicked when I knew he could hear and feel me too, but I was too consumed with the sexual heat of the kiss to take notice of my panic.

  He pulled back, but stayed close. Inches away from my face.

  “No,” he said leaning even closer and brushing his lips over mine.

  “No, to what?” I couldn’t remember why he would say that.

  “I didn’t sacrifice sex, or anything else you thought of. Maybe you’re growing on me Syph, so please stop panicking when you kiss me. Told you, where I come from, we don’t beat about the bush.”

  I couldn’t help the little smile that escaped and I moved to him, too, when he reclaimed my lips.

  He slipped his hand behind my head and brought me closer, crushing my breasts to the hard, solid walls of his chest.

  The peaks and valleys of his amazing torso captivated me, and I found myself hopelessly wanting to explore him. I moaned into the kiss as it turned hungrier and more urgent, desperate.

  Then just as I was about to lose myself in him, something hard shook us.

  It shook us and pulled us apart. The force was so strong it pushed me back into the rails and I nearly fell over them.

  I screamed, but he caught me. Worry filled his handsome face and he looked up at the darkness of the sky. Sparks of light danced across it. With a wave of his hand the beautiful night sky disappeared revealing the true nature of where we were. It was just the bridge which led across to what I thought looked like the engineering room.

  “We’re under attack.” He frowned.

  “Attack, oh God. Dante.” I winced remembering Balmora last night. I couldn’t live through that again. It was so horrible.

  He cupped my face as I started to tremble from the fear.

  “I will not let anything happen to you. Do you believe that?” He held my gaze.

  I was so terrified I couldn’t gather my thoughts. This was all so sudden, too quick.

  I knew it. I was right to be anxious and here was the bad thing I feared happening.

  What would it be this time? What would Balmora do to me if she got me?

  “Alyssa.” He said my name and the sound did something to me. “Do you believe me?”

  When I thought of last night and all he did to protect me I knew the answer straight away.

  “I believe you.”

  Without any further comment he took my hand and there was the sucking feeling again. As if my skin was being sucked off my body.

  Then we were on the bridge with Zeek and Neo.

  Teleportation. That was what we did. I’d seen him do it, he did it with me last night and we just did it again. The only difference between last night and just now was I knew what happened.

  Zeek looked back at us and frowned.

  “Boss you need to get out of here.”

  “How, will we do that?” I asked.

  “However you can.” Neo chimed in.

  When I first met him, I thought he had the most beautiful white blond hair. While Zeek looked muscular and rougher around the edges, he, like Dante, had those chiseled, beautiful features.

  That white hair was now shoulder length and his face was that of a skeleton.

  I jumped back, right into Dante’s arms when I saw him.

  “What happened to you?” I gasped.

  “Don’t be scared child, this is my demon form.” Neo smiled. His skeleton face smiled. “It’s the only way I can save you guys.”

  A wailing sound pierced my ears and I grabbed onto Dante’s shirt.

  It came from the ugly gargoyle that sat across from Zeek.

  We all focused on it.

  “Going to the Shadowlands?” It said in that horrible voice I recognized from last night. “Now we know. See you soon.”

  Balmora. It sounded like her. She was speaking to us through the gargoyle.

  “Fucking spy.” Neo balked. “I knew something was off about that piece of shit.”

  He raised his sword and hacked off it’s head. The blade of his sword lit up and turned the gargoyle to stone.

  I was still grabbing on to Dante’s shirt, and I noticed he hadn’t said anything.

  When I looked at him, I saw fear on his face.

  He was looking outside, and I saw immediately why he looked like that.

  What I thought were clouds, weren’t at all.

  First, they looked like shadows but then I saw them properly. Their faces when they came into view were as grotesque as gargoyles, but they had the body of a man with wings attached to their backs. Wings like angels.

  “Wraith demons.” Dante breathed.

  Chapter 7

  Dante

  I’d only ever come up against one.

  One was enough to take me down. All those years ago I foolishly pursued it on my own.

  The hell god, Zenith, had sent it from the underworld to wreak havoc on a city of monks who’d been given the Sword of Valor for safe keeping. I pursued it and it was my downfall.

  I didn’t assess the situation first.

  Malachi and I were assigned to get the beast back to the underworld. I didn’t take the hint that Gabriel had assigned two of his most powerful soldiers.

  In life I was always trying to outdo my brother, never wanting to accept he was so much better than me. Malachi was better because he wasn’t an asshole who thought he could rule the world and everyone in it.

  In life I tried not to need him, even though I always did. I always ended up relying on him in some form of way because my knucklehead plans always landed me in big trouble.

  I never learned even when the lesson waved itself in front of me. I never learned to not make things worse, and also that it was okay to ask for help sometimes.

  My attitude blindsided me and made me open to attack.

  I wanted to show I could catch the demon on my own. I wanted to show my worth as a sentinel. Show the distinction between myself and the creature who used to be an angel.

  When the wraith demon got me, the pain I felt was indescribable.

  I’d underestimated it. Something I would never do again.

  That was only one of them, before me looked like hundreds.

  One had managed to fill me with dark essence. Hundreds would most likely destroy me.

  Message received.

  The necromancer and Balmora had sent them knowing that was the only thing that could destroy me.

  “Dante.” Neo snapped pushing me hard in my shoulder. His skeleton face stared at me long and hard. “Take the girl and go. We’ll keep them off you.”

  “You’ll die.” Was all I could say, because I knew they would.

  “Maybe, maybe not.” Neo shrugged. “You have to go now.”

  “Yes, like pronto, and there’s more bad news.” Zeek called out. The ship rattled as the wraiths came closer. Zeek had a shield up, but it wasn’t holding. I could see the sparks of light bouncing against it as the wraiths crashed in the barrier trying to break through.

  “What else is happening?”

  “Portals sealed. You can’t get to the Shadowlands the way we thought.”

  “Fuck, what do you mean?”

  “It’s sealed. We can’t see it. You’ll have to teleport off here, we’re just over Aestas.”

  Fuck, why did I bother thinking things couldn’t get worse?

  “Our magic will be shit in Aestas.” The whole fucking place designed by that the Elf Queen was a mess. I avoided the place like the
plague. Our magic wouldn’t just be a mess, we would be too.

  It was different from being in the Shadowlands.

  There, I knew what to expect.

  Aestas on the other hand was unpredictable. Completely unpredictable.

  Unpredictable was not good.

  “Now Dante. If these creatures get to you there will be no hope for anyone.” Neo snapped.

  I looked from him to Zeek.

  These men were like family to me.

  Zeek and Neo. I’d known them forever.

  I put my arms around Alyssa to stop her from shaking. Her face was buried against my chest and her fear was paralyzing.

  I couldn’t even spare the time to be annoyed our kiss had been interrupted, or annoyed at myself for the lame answer I gave her about why I was helping.

  Yes I had an interest in saving her, but there was something more. The fact that she was my soul mate had worked its way into my mind.

  How could I not be curious to see what being with her would be like?

  When the ship shook violently, and the wraiths released their screech again, she screamed.

  “I will see you soon, brother.” I told my friend.

  “Go.” Neo nodded.

  I unleashed my wings and circled Alyssa within the protection of them. I held her close, closed my eyes and faded with her out of existence. I shifted off the ship, and straight into the astral plane with its many doorways to reality and then we were on land.

  On Aestas, the Shifting World, part of the Fire Realm.

  On the ship it looked like night, but it was bright daylight here.

  An explosion shook me. My gaze snapped to the sky where I saw a massive burst of fire.

  The ship.

  The ship with my friends.

  My heart broke in several pieces, but I willed myself to think they’d gotten out somehow.

  Zeek could shift into anything and Neo was near immortal.

  The sky cleared and then it was as if nothing happened. Nothing at all.

  Delicate hands reached up and touched my face.

  Alyssa.

  I looked back to her and stared deep into her beautiful eyes. I knew she could feel my pain.

  “They were strong. There’s a chance they’ll be...okay.” She wiped tears from her face and nodded.

  I nodded too. It was the first in a long time I’d had to hope for anything. But here I was hoping.