Against the Fallen

by Devin Lee Carlson

  The gruesome vision churned Sabree’s gut, hers apparently made of iron. “Athorsis?” When did Brian tell her about the archangel?

  “Seriously?” Ariane stooped over to gather the opalescent stone and held it out to him. She stole a quick glance over her shoulder as though she didn’t want the others to hear. Anger glowered in her eyes. “Brian screwed up big time. His stupidity outshines logic at the worst possible moment.”

  “Shush!” Sabree rushed forward, grabbed her by the arm, and led her through the doors onto the deck. “Why do you belittle him so? He selflessly entered the portal to stop the Malakhim from attacking the Fallen. Tried to save us at great sacrifice to himself.” Sabree pinched the bridge of his nose when tears began to well in her eyes.

  “You’re right,” Ariane said between sniffles. “If I don’t sound distant—analytical—I’d turn into a blubbering idiot like I am now. I treasure Brian. He’s part of me; I couldn’t imagine life without him.” She rubbed her eyes dry.

  Disheartened for bringing her to tears, Sabree pulled her into a tight embrace. He stepped back and gently placed a hand on her swollen belly. “Can’t get close enough anymore. I hope she waits until after the battle to join our clan.”

  Placing her hand on his, Ariane giggled. “Everything’s happening so fast. We don’t even have a nursery.”

  The best part about raising Malakhim children was the growing process experienced at warp speed. Three years and presto, sons and daughters grew up to be the same physical age as their parents. Sabree chuckled. “She will need a crib for a few months, maybe four at the most.”

  He pulled on his chin until his mouth formed a thin line. “Back to Brian. You never answered my question. Who is this Athorsis?” To query her further, Sabree feigned ignorance of the archangel.

  “Good news first. The portal wormhole leading to Earth is still open. The bad news, your stone sword might be useless.” She rehashed the story about the archangel who possessed Turian’s body. “Brian thinks Turian tried to destroy us—our zygotes—because he knew Athorsis had contaminated his seed, thus creating formidable anti-beings. And from what I noticed so far, Brian is way more anti than I will ever be.”

  An old enemy. The flaming bully from the rest stop from hell. One and the same Brian had confirmed. Sabree hugged her, making sure to stand sideways to avoid her belly. She, the baby, and Brian were all the family he needed.

  3 3 3

  A few days of rest afforded me too much time to brood. Everyone had surrendered to fearfulness when the clan found out I destroyed the entire Malakhim envoy except for one. How, where, or when the Malakhim would strike next, troubled everyone. Athorsis occupied my time. Arms folded across my chest, I stared at the loudest member of the clan.

  Sabree’s hands slapped his thighs. “I’m literally torn in half. This dimension battles over the rights to two souls: my living one and one in the form of ashes. Look, I don’t blame you. You had every right to dust me that day. Never should’ve let Ariane seduce me.”

  “I dusted you from inexperience. Trust me, it will never happen again.” When Sabree smiled half-heartedly, my mood soured. “Made a decision that day and I still don’t regret it even though saving you for selfish reasons destroyed thousands. My exploitation of time travel changed the natural order of events. Seems I’m following in Tim E. Traveler’s footsteps.”

  Confusion darkened Sabree’s eyes.

  After a pause, I said, “I forgot to tell you. Tim warned me not to use White Ghost’s second solution.” The ostentatious bloodstone ring began to spin on its axis as slender fingers twirled it. The revolutions meant Sabree recognized solution number two as not to activate the celestial rectifier to correct his existence. I vowed to buy him a replacement—a ring that fit.

  “Something about using a time-related device to separate my two selves?”

  “Aye, something like that.” To ease the unbearable reality, I squeezed Sabree’s arm. As expected, he pulled away. “Solution number two is bogus, so I’m keeping number three, change time, as backup. Maybe, I should go back to the day I dusted you. Make things right. Not sure it’s a good idea though.”

  Mist formed around Sabree. “Oh, no you don’t!” I hollered. “We’re not finished yet.” I inadvertently inhaled some of the mist when I drew in a long breath. My mouth dropped when Sabree reformed. Had I unknowingly willed his return?

  Eyes wide, Sabree asked, “How? How’d you stop me?”

  My head tilted in question. “I did?” His enthusiastic nod sent a chill up my spine. I had no idea how I stopped him in mid-mist except by ordering the command. Perhaps my anti-powers included the ability to control the Fallen at will. “I did, didn’t I?”

  Open mouthed, Sabree stared at me. “There’s nothing you can do to help me without screwing up some more.”

  My left hand raised, we stared at my wrist minus the amulet. Then I braved a glance Sabree’s way. As suspected, he noticed it too. “No way to enter the portal never mind travel time. Athorsis saw to that.” Feeling a surge of emotions on the rise, I spun on my heels and plunked my ass in front of the TV. Cushion foam puffed out from all sides.

  Sabree followed me inside. “Okay, so you got that off your chest. How are you going to help me?” He sat next to me. “Here, you may need this.” The amulet fell on my lap.

  “Bloody hell, where’d you find it?”

  “At your feet in the desert. Athorsis must have tossed it back.” His hand patted my knee. “Guess he still loves you in his own pitiless way.”

  “Boohoo,” Ariane said behind us, switching the TV off with the remote. “I hate saying this so often, but you’re both wrong. All is not lost.”

  We twisted around only to discover she had moved to the front of the couch to stand before us. Funny how my sister admitted all wasn’t lost but said nothing about my worthlessness. The amulet hidden under the cushion, my naked wrist flapped in her face. “Forget something?”

  “Remember when you took me to visit Julia? You snatched Turian and shot into the portal without touching the amulet. You’ve also traveled the portal in your sleep. All those crazy dreams of yours had to mean something.”

  As her words sank in, I jumped to my feet and accidently swatted Sabree in the face. Ariane was right. I leaned forward with both hands cupped over my head. The short one-sided battle had snapped my kick-ass fighting spirit. No longer me—the Nephilim of one. Athorsis had seen to that. To prove myself worthy of battle, worthy of my clan, I finally faced the truth and then my sister. “You’re a genius, Sis. Time to sell the bloody amulet on eBay.” I slapped Sabree’s shoulder. “We can still fix you.” The discarded amulet glistened as if to snag my attention. While still a useful tool, it bestowed only false security. Athorsis had tried to make me see that in his own gruesome way.

  “Is Sabree broken?” Ariane asked.

  “I will be if Brian keeps whacking me.” Sabree glared my way. “Whatever you’re planning, it’s not happening. I won’t let it.”

  “It’s nine,” I said, looking around. “Where is everyone?” I had asked the clan to meet every night at nine to rehearse our telepathic connection, adamant about strengthening the bond to ease the task of protecting them all at once. If used correctly, this link would form a deep-rooted connection tough enough to defend us against a Malakhim attack. The bond extended my powers through each of their minds to prevent the enemy from destroying them. Naturally, one obstacle broke the connection, the weakest link: Sabree.

  Ever since his resurrection from the dead, the only one who could sense or link with his consciousness was yours truly. If placed at the beginning, the end, or anywhere in between, zombie-like Sabree disconnected my link with the others. He caused an electrical quandary similar to a snarled mess of Christmas tree lights. To correct this, I relied on our blood-tie as both part of and apart from the others.

  Sabree never got a chance to reply. He cried out, his hands cupping his ears.

  “What the—” I rushed over and
pulled him to his feet. Gibyss and Euriel ran in the room carrying an unconscious Abyss. Ariane ran over to check her out. “What’s going on?” I asked, wishing someone would fill me in. Finally, an answer bombarded my mind, just not the expected one. All at once, several deaths, too many to count confirmed the attack on the Caderen had begun. The clan paid with their lives because they rebelled against the Malakhim.

  “It’s begun.” Gibyss stated the obvious. “The darkest of days.”

  “Yet darkness lets the stars shine bright. I am the dark, and you,” I addressed the clan, “are my stars.”

  Gibyss spoke for the rest. “Empty quotes won’t win the battle.” A scowl lined his brow.

  “Of course not, but bloody hell, it sounded admirable.” Since Gibyss was the one who arranged the DanJal tests on my immortality, our relationship had been strained at best. We exchanged little to no trust or acceptance between us. Although, he had arranged the tests and should be the one to apologize, maybe I could redeem myself during the battle. Earn his trust. “We’ll leave soon. Gather your weapons and meet me back here.”

  I ignored Gibyss’s snide remark, needing only a blink of an eye to time travel while everyone readied themselves for combat. Take it back, fock his trust. He can earn my approval instead.

  30

  WHERE MY DEMONS HIDE

  A t best, time travel threw me a Catch-22. Yet, how could one repair the damage already done to someone without causing more? Two options, both farfetched and hopefully harmless, offered little hope. Plan A involved traveling back to the night Turian and I met in Scotland, this time to ask him if he knew how to help Sabree. Or Athorsis for that matter. With any luck, he still possessed the body. However, I doubted the archangel would help.

  If A failed, there was always plan B: take Sabree’s ashes to another dimension, any dimension would do. Because only one Sabree existed in the combined dimensions, I doubted this plan would work. His well-being made it worth the effort. Bury the urn someplace safe, and if any reason came up, a well-hidden location easily retrievable. Would the act of transporting the ashes elsewhere ease his soul? My head throbbed from the pressure of uncertainty.

  To prepare for the trip back in time and then back to the present, I pulled on a sweater, jeans, and boots all in black—stealth color designed for battle. A battle, that would last well into tomorrow. After shrugging on my trusty bomber jacket, I ran into the living room and shoved a handful of Colton tabs into my mouth. For later, a sandwich-sized baggie full of tablets landed inside my jacket pocket, the candy dish emptied. I chewed the sweet tablets as my keen gaze fell on the urn. You’re plan B.

  Still chomping, I pocketed the fiery opal, White Ghost moonstone, and four others for good measure. Weaponless, any hope of escape depended on speed as a quick exit. My hand cuffed the wrist minus the amulet out of habit. I disappeared just as Sabree walked in.

  The no he hollered echoed in my mind until I appeared atop the crags a little less than a year ago. The city lights below looked dimmer, overshadowed by an eerie sky. A full moon animated the overlook. Something had gone awry, this visit to Edinburgh atypical than the last few. Never noticed the full moon before.

  I dug into my jeans pocket for the stone, pulled it out, and buffed it on my sweater. If it dished out any luck, sooner rather than later would serve me utmost. A streak of lightning shot across the sky, followed by the roar of thunder. No storm clouds overhead, no downpour, yet…

  Charred earth and ozone equal to a roomful of printers burned my nostrils. My breath caught in anticipation as I spun around when another presence materialized, the week-old pain still fresh in my mind. “Turian?”

  “Guess again.”

  Flames around the man’s irises gave him away. “Bloody hell. How’d you know I’d be here at this exact moment?” In a way, stone or not, luck prevailed.

  “Athorsis knows all.”

  “I’m banking on it.” Tall order, yes, but audacity rang louder than apprehension and weakness to the opponent. I refused to look him in the eyes; yet, had no choice, vigilant of the archangel’s every move, especially the fiery arrows that might shoot out.

  “As you proclaim to all, you are worthless,” Athorsis reminded me. “No one can help Sabree. So why waste my time, yours, or theirs?”

  What skill or tool facilitated his ability to see all? A chill frostier than the Dark Ones’ own breaths numbed my core, each extremity immobilized as if dipped into liquid nitrogen. The opal stone slipped from my grasp.

  Athorsis turned toward the cliff to gaze upon the city of Edinburgh. He blew a kiss over the edge and glanced sideways at me, no doubt to demonstrate his intention. “A petty race these humans. I could annihilate this entire city with one arrow.” As he twisted toward me, he brushed his cheek where a lone tear trickled down. The stone-like tear turned into a flaming arrow. “Your burden to bear, your fault for abusing time travel to save a friend. A worthless creature. It seems you will never learn.”

  Regrettably, Athorsis knew me too well. Knew of my time manipulation for selfish reasons even more. Edinburgh was my home. A special bond shared my love of Scotland. Duncan had seen to it, realizing immortal creatures such as Ariane and I should balance our supremacy with empathy for the inhabitants of Earth. “Your battle is with me.” Disgust and the desire to destroy the menace filled my entire being. So why not? Athorsis would never agree to help Sabree.

  An electric sizzle made me glance at my feet. An inanimate object on the ground detected my urgency. The stone sparkled, reformed, and shot upward. Stunned, but relieved, the radiant sword alighted in my grasp. More powerful than the skewer stone I stole from Sabree at White Sands, its electricity surged up my left arm into my heart. Athorsis also appeared dazed.

  “Where’d you get that! Athorsis demanded with a thunderous voice.

  “Found it in my pocket. Is it like the ruby you forged?”

  “Not mine, but I dare say whose…” Athorsis’s eyes flamed as if fixated on its fiery yet deadly beauty. “An archangel spills a tear to create a stone christened with a specific purpose. Alchemy or sorcery, your small mind would never comprehend.”

  Tears? Small mind? Enough talked. I seized the momentum of the brief distraction and slapped my right hand on the hilt and swung both arms in a wide arc at the archangel. The arrow fell. Its flame extinguished to a dying ember. A blaze of fireworks shot out of the decapitated neck as Turian’s head sailed over the cliff.

  A nudge of my boot knocked the body to the ground. I raced to the cliff’s edge to see where the head landed and caught sight of a dying spark that extinguished into utter darkness. My mystified gaze fell on the weapon. A brief inspection of the sword revealed thumbnail-sized fire opals and gold scrolls engraving the hilt, electrically charged as if an extension of myself. The grip and cross guard tingled in my hand. Somehow it had sensed my desire to impair Athorsis. Could the archangel-crafted swords destroy such an invincible monster? Did they gift these stones to the Malakhim to augment their powers? A few of the stones I had pocketed still remained a mystery. No idea what purpose they served.

  I examined the body next, the blaze now dying embers. Sparks fizzled skyward and blended in with the pinpricks of stars. Doubt filled me with unease as to whether I destroyed Athorsis or if the archangel flew off to fight another day. The sword-turned-stone flipped in the air into my pocket. Show off. My mind envisioned the return home.

  Reappearing where I had left, Sabree bumped into me. Unaware of how much time had passed, I handed him the stone. “I was going to set this opal in a ring for you. But its effectiveness as a sword wins hands down.”

  Sabree grabbed the stone, gripping it tight. “I don’t understand. It only works for misters, chosen specifically for me. Where did you go? Or should I ask when?”

  My whereabouts were none of his business. “The stone sensed my urgency, unfolded into a magnificent sword, and flew into my hand. I think it destroyed Athorsis or at the very least, incapacitated him.” More like decapitate
d him, but those details would only make Sabree queasy from his own experiences. “Mission aborted, so I returned home ASAP. Get ready, we leave now.”

  “I will need this for the battle,” Sabree said, stuffing the stone in his jeans pocket. “I still don’t understand why it worked for you. Probably the same reason you stopped me in mid-mist.”

  “Most likely my anti-ness. If you recall, the stones love me. My will controls all.” Laughter bounced off the room, mine only, because Sabree’s mouth hung open. My gaze raked the mantle. The urn was gone. I spun around and grabbed him by the shoulders, squeezing them. “Where is it?” My abrupt, aggressive stance fired off the stone in Sabree’s pocket, burning a hole in his jeans as it erupted into a sword.

  My breath hitched to stop myself from laughing. Should’ve held my breath.

  Sabree cried out, surprised by my belligerence and his mister’s sword gone awry. “Where’s what?” he asked with the sword in hand. His pant leg had been ripped open, displaying a healing wound.

  Embossed fire opal and amber topaz jewels reflected off the hilt. Exquisite, but not enough to distract me. “Your ashes. You hid them, didn’t you?” It didn’t matter if Sabree threatened me with a boxful of dynamite. The urn was top priority.

  When I grabbed him by the shoulder, the sword flew into my empty hand, the blade aimed strategically for his hearts. A surprised gasp sucked the air from my lungs as my left hand lowered the sword. “It does love me better.” All of the archangel tears favored me, including the ones stolen from the DanJal and Caderen clans. White Ghost had turned into one. Another sword? A lightsaber?

  “Then keep it.” Sabree’s face mirrored an upside-down smiling emoji. “Maybe it feels neglected. Maybe you smell better. Who knows, who cares. Nothing is as it should be anymore.”

  “It sensed my urgency and obviously your frustration. It also recognized my panic when Athorsis threatened to incinerate the entire city of Edinburgh.”