Endless: Violet Eden Chapters: Book Four

by Jessica Shirvington

  ‘Who? What power? What are you talking about?’

  He gave me a smug look and I knew he would say no more, so I pushed on.

  ‘Can someone else bring Lilith across the realms? If I’m… If I don’t make it?’

  He sighed, bored now. ‘They can return her to the pits. It may be enough. But no, only you can bring her across the realms.’

  ‘Why?’

  He raised one eyebrow high. ‘Because you are the Keshet.’

  Something hard pinged against my head. Then again. My eyes opened and I curled into a ball, just as another hit came to my arm. ‘Ow!’

  ‘Wake up!’ a small voice said.

  Something else hit my back. I looked down and saw small rocks – no, chunks of concrete.

  ‘Okay, okay! I’m okay,’ I said, before another one hit me.

  ‘What happened to you?’ Simon asked, panting.

  I put a hand to my head. I could sense Lincoln. He was worried for me, as if he hadn’t been able to sense me during my dream.

  I’m okay.

  I kept thinking it, over and over, until I felt him calm. Then I turned to Simon. ‘I guess I fainted. I’m fine now.’

  His concern remained but he nodded.

  Seeing the nervous expressions on the faces of so many children left a lump in my throat. Then one little boy caught my eye. Still in his blue-and-white pyjamas and huddled next to an older girl, it was the little boy Olivier had taken. He was alive.

  I smiled at him and dug my fingernails into my palms to stop from crying. I didn’t know how much longer I would have until they came for me, but I decided to try and focus all my attention on the children.

  For the next two hours I listened to them tell me, one by one, how they had been taken from their homes, how their families had been tortured, burned, murdered. Each of them, having already known the loss of one parent, understood all too well what losing the other would mean. They had nothing left and nowhere to go, even if they were to survive.

  I wanted to scream for them. I wanted to rip Lilith apart for doing this. Phoenix too. Even myself. We had all played a part. But I held back the emotion and devoted my attention to the children.

  ‘There is a place where you can all go,’ I told them. ‘There are people who will look after you and keep you safe. You will become a part of their family. It won’t be the same as your real families, but it will be amazing. And when you grow up you will have choices. If you want to you can become very strong and very powerful.’

  ‘Like you?’ One of the smallest boys named Tom asked. His face was covered in freckles and he had pale blue eyes and fire-engine red hair. I’d never seen hair that colour before. He couldn’t have been more than six.

  I nodded. ‘Like me.’

  ‘Would we be a part of your family?’ Another little girl named Katie asked. You could tell she’d had a tough life already. She held herself in a way that suggested she expected nothing more than suffering.

  I smiled at her. ‘You’ll have family all over the world.’

  She smiled back and my heart broke.

  I have to save these kids.

  ‘Have you seen the man with the purple hair. The one who brought me in?’

  The children nodded.

  ‘We call him Midnight Stars. He sneaks us in some food every now and then and tells us to hide it,’ Simon explained.

  I smiled. Midnight Stars was a perfect name for Phoenix.

  ‘Well, if anything happens to me, or if I can’t get back to you, do what he says, okay? You can trust him. He’ll keep you safe.’

  The children nodded.

  Simon leaned into the bars and they gave a little under the pressure, making me wonder if I could pull them down with my strength. He reached his hand through, stretching it towards me.

  ‘We pray every night for God to protect us. Will you pray with us?’

  ‘Oh,’ I said, taken aback. ‘I… The truth is, I’m not sure I believe in God.’

  Simon’s reaction was shock at first, followed by confusion, and then… He smiled.

  ‘You’re testing us. I can see that.’ He nodded, more to himself than me. ‘Our faith will not waver. You will not see us lose our way.’

  I wasn’t sure why he was speaking to me like that, but he seemed to find some kind of strength from it and as a result the other children did too. I smiled as he watched me. I was glad he had faith. I didn’t know how I felt about it, but then I knew a lot more things about the world of God and angels than these kids and I wasn’t about to strip away their beliefs when they had so little else to comfort them.

  I shuffled closer to Simon and took his hand. ‘I can pray with you.’

  All around me, children dropped to their knees and bowed their heads, a few turning away. I waited for Simon to start a prayer, to beg for their survival, for their families to be in Heaven. I braced myself. But nothing, nothing, could’ve prepared me for what happened next.

  A lone voice – small, innocent, beautifully composed – rang out, bouncing off the concrete walls to haunting effect.

  Tom sang.

  The words sounded like Latin. Tears pricked my eyes instantly, his voice cutting right to my heart. I had never heard anything more heavenly.

  I looked at Simon who seemed to watch me with awe.

  ‘It’s called “Pie Jesu”,’ he said as Tom sang. ‘It’s for our parents. It means: Merciful Jesus, who takes away the sins of the world, grant them everlasting peace.’

  I nodded, tears slipping down my cheeks. ‘It’s beautiful.’

  CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

  ‘Thou hast, with deadly magic,

  Poured poison into me.’

  Heinrich Heine

  Pounding sounds filtered down from above. The children huddled together. The drums seemed to perfectly echo a heartbeat of encroaching evil.

  Lilith was making quite the event of my torture.

  Probably sold tickets.

  I consoled the children as best as I could and explained that the guards would be coming for me and not to be frightened. I promised them someone would be back for them.

  For some reason they trusted me, as if the kindling to all of their fears had been stamped out by my presence.

  It made me feel sick. And guilt-ridden.

  I knew there was no way I would be able to save them all, but I had to try. Beyond that, I had to believe that Phoenix, Griffin and Evelyn would find a way.

  I heard footsteps and stood, refusing to look weak or afraid.

  It was Olivier who came to collect me. Phoenix must have decided it was too risky. A current of fear ran through me that Lilith had already discovered his betrayal. My hand went to my stomach to reassure myself. If Lilith knew, she would have killed him instantly and my wounds would’ve reappeared the second he died. As long as I was okay, I knew he was alive.

  Olivier looked delighted to be the one who got to deliver me to the festivities.

  ‘No one told me it was fancy dress,’ I said with a mocking grin. He looked like he had on some kind of Dracula outfit – long black cape and all. It was even more ridiculous than Nox’s leathers. And Olivier on the whole frightened me a whole lot less than Nox.

  Olivier unlocked my cage and dragged me out by the arm.

  ‘That’s okay,’ he replied, his own cruel smile growing. ‘We’re about to paint you in red.’

  The children cried out as he violently shoved me towards the stairs. The sight of their trembling made me so angry. I couldn’t let the kids think we were helpless. Without thinking about what I was about to expose them to, I released my power over Olivier. It moved eagerly from me to him, my amethyst mist coating the immediate area. Most of the kids couldn’t see the glittering purple but I noticed a few put their hands out with expressions of wonder.

  Huh. Some can already see.

  Olivier’s body stilled and I held him prisoner.

  He watched me as he struggled to try and regain control of his body. But I was stronger than him. I le
aned close to his ear.

  ‘I could end you right now, or worse, make you only human.’

  His pupils dilated with fear. I looked at the children and began to walk slowly around Olivier.

  ‘All is not lost.’ I prodded my captive, making a show that I could. ‘They’re scary, yes.’ I gave Katie a reassuring smile. ‘But so am I.’ I caught Simon’s wide eyes just before I let my power drop and released my hold over Olivier. ‘Be strong,’ I urged him.

  Olivier almost leaped into the air. His fist went back, his arm shaking with the desire to strike me. I clicked my tongue at him, almost daring him, but his hand dropped – too afraid of Lilith’s wrath. He settled for pushing me once again towards the stairs.

  I glanced back at Simon. He nodded bravely.

  That boy will make a fine Grigori.

  They all would. I’d ensure they had their chance with my last breath.

  Olivier pushed me every few steps until we reached the top of the staircase, where four more exiles waited.

  They had a prop.

  ‘Original,’ I muttered, looking at the crucifix.

  Olivier took his time, tying me to the heavy wooden cross with thin ropes.

  It felt wrong in so many ways that they were doing this, and even more disturbing was seeing the sheer satisfaction it brought them.

  The ropes dug into my wrists and ankles as the exiles hoisted me onto their shoulders and paraded me into the main room. Facing the ceiling I couldn’t see much, but I heard the roars and hissing. I felt like the hunt being delivered to the barbecue.

  Finally, I was placed up against a stand so that I faced Lilith and Phoenix, who stood behind her throne. In front of her was a small golden table. My breath caught before I could stop myself when I saw the modern automatic bow and rows of small arrows, each knitting-needle-slim and no longer than four inches.

  Lilith was adorned in a golden gown complete with plunging neckline and cut-outs down her sides that showcased her curvaceous body, leaving little to the imagination. On anyone else it would have looked crude – on her, it looked iconic. Her golden hair almost blended into the dress and her lips were highlighted by vibrant red lipstick. Her only other accessories were the chains that flowed from her throne down to the collars around her human slaves.

  A whimper fell from my lips as Lincoln’s power ran through me and I saw the shadows. Each human was shrouded by thick venomous shadows which had an almost oil-slick quality that confirmed their will had been tainted by an exile. A shiver ran through me.

  To Lilith’s left, I finally spotted Evelyn. She was bound in silver chains with exiles on either side of her, holding her up. She had been badly beaten, only her eyes left untouched. My anger boiled and was only contained when my gaze locked with hers. Evelyn’s body may have been sagging under the strain but her eyes were as fierce as ever and focused on me. I didn’t need a soul bond to feel the love she was sending me.

  I looked away. I would have broken down otherwise.

  Finally, I let my gaze travel to the place I’d been purposely avoiding since first entering the room. To the right of Lilith, Lincoln was chained up. He stood tall and fearless despite the fact that, like Evelyn, he too had been badly beaten. From the angle he held his arm, I suspected his shoulder had dislocated again. Nonetheless, his strength was so overpowering I found myself half smiling at him briefly. He nodded me on as if that was exactly the right thing to do.

  The ballroom was lined with spectators. I pushed my senses out, registering that there was definitely a favouring of dark exiles. With Lilith now in charge and Phoenix viewed as her second-in-command, I wondered if exiles of light would be so happy to continue their truce with the dark. I imagined it would not be long before they went back to the old ways and began warring with one another.

  The man standing on the opposite side of Lilith’s throne caught my attention. He didn’t seem to belong; small and unassuming, he was bald with wire-rimmed glasses. Dressed in a conservative grey business suit and cream tie, black briefcase in hand, shoes nicely polished – I couldn’t get a clear signature from him. He was definitely an exile, which was strange in itself – I’d never seen one who looked so … average; on the whole, exile physiques fitted the GQ ideal.

  He looked back at me, nothing more than a hint of curiosity showing in his expression. The hair on the back of my neck prickled.

  Something about him is very, very wrong.

  The drums continued their relentless pounding and exiles started to walk towards me in time to the beat. One by one they moved closer, pushing their power out towards me. They were combining their forces. I didn’t know what they were planning but my heart began to race in anticipation.

  They want me frightened.

  Be strong. Stay strong.

  One by one the exiles morphed into their creatures of choice. First something bat-like swooped in on me. Then something with great talons streaked by so close I felt it graze my arm. Another came, more like a gargoyle, then another; a dragon. They were relentless. A horned devil covered in orange fire, a creature illuminated in blinding white light with a gigantic and terrifying wingspan all ablaze, a vampire, a human snake, a fairy-vulture… All moving into my space from the side, behind and above!

  I can’t breathe!

  They surrounded me, infiltrating my mind – whispering and taunting. They kept coming, creatures of treacherous darkness and creatures of the brightest light equally frightening. None of them meant for human eyes, none of them meant for this world.

  My breathing was shallow and fast and the terror started to consume me as they took over my mind. They would not stop.

  I forced my mind to work for me and called on my power. It flowed from me, out and over the room. Exiles hissed and moved closer, never ones to run in fright, even though they could sense my strength building.

  Utilising my power, I set my will free and painted the room back to truth. The exiles returned to nothing more than human form and I concentrated on breathing. My view to Lilith cleared. She was watching me with fascination.

  She clapped her hands. The drumming stopped and the exiles, following an unspoken command, reluctantly moved back to the shadows edging the room.

  ‘You do not know who made you, do you?’ Lilith asked.

  I refused to answer. I didn’t want her to know just how little I really understood about the Sole and my angel maker.

  She laughed, the sound echoing around the room.

  ‘Are you ready?’ she went on.

  This was it. ‘Once I have your oath,’ I said.

  Lilith’s eyes widened a fraction, but her smiled followed quickly. ‘Clever girl. What would you have my oath on?’

  ‘That the children saved tonight will never again be hunted or harmed at your hand or by your order.’

  She tilted her head curiously. ‘You’re my prisoner. Why would I adhere to such a demand?’

  I gave her a sharp smile. ‘Because you want me to agree to your terms. You want to shove my free will down my throat.’

  Her eyes narrowed.

  ‘I warn you, I tire of restraints being put on my desires. For too long I’ve had to abide by the oaths I once gave to angels. Trinkets and necklaces have caused me many missed opportunities.’ She lifted her chin. ‘I’m not inclined to agree.’

  A shiver ran down my spine, thinking about how many children’s lives had been spared by such trinkets as the amulet my mother had left behind for me.

  Now my eyes narrowed. ‘You already swore it would be so through Phoenix. Are you willing to go back on your word in front of everyone here? Have you not promised rewards and spoils to many exiles here tonight? Do you expect them to follow you when your word holds no weight?’ I looked around the room. ‘It could be a costly mistake.’

  The small man holding the briefcase cleared his throat. Lilith’s birdlike glare snapped to him, but he seemed unaffected.

  ‘I for one should like an assurance of your word,’ he said. ‘Since I’ve paid su
ch a great deal for it.’

  Fury hardened Lilith’s features. Something about the briefcase man unsettled even her, which made him that much more unnerving.

  ‘My oath is yours,’ she spat out each word. ‘No child released tonight will come to further harm by me or mine. Now, for Hell’s wretched sake, someone shoot her!’

  Olivier moved quickly towards the golden table, but Phoenix was already there, bow and arrow in hand.

  Lilith smiled at the sight. ‘My son?’

  Phoenix nodded. ‘I believe I’ve earned the right,’ he said, casting a dark gaze in my direction. It was so real, for a moment, I almost doubted him.

  ‘I must admit, I do like what you bring out in him,’ Lilith said to me, reassuming her place on the throne.

  I braced myself for what was to come.

  ‘Lilith, this is between you and me!’ Evelyn screamed. ‘It always has been! Let me take her place!’

  My heart squeezed for my mother. Even though her words were useless, it was her way of telling me she loved me.

  Lilith swam gleefully in Evelyn’s pleas, her smile indulgent. ‘You’re right, Evelyn. But you brought her into it and now you can live the rest of your days knowing that this was all your fault.’

  Playing his part perfectly, Phoenix did not delay. He loaded the first arrow steadily and took position about five metres away from me. His expression was blank, but his chocolate eyes burned into mine as he raised the bow and took aim.

  The first arrow pierced my thigh.

  Exiles hissed.

  The arrows were small but they were fierce. I felt the sharp tip embed itself in the muscle that contracted around it. I bit down on the scream.

  Phoenix reloaded and aimed.

  The automatic bow made a muffled thump-like sound before the arrow sped towards me. This one pierced my upper arm. A tear slipped down my cheek but I didn’t cry.

  Staunchly, Phoenix reloaded, just as we’d planned. The faster he could shoot, the more children we would save.

  The third arrow punctured my shoulder and burned all the way down my back.

  That’s three. Three children free.

  After the first five shots, the exiles began to cheer, encouraged by the sight of my blood dripping to the ground.