Down in Flames (The Earthwalker Trilogy Book 3)

by Jennifer Siddoway

  “I’m afraid I can’t do that. You see the wood from this tree is necessary in my plan for defeating Lucifer.”

  “Your intentions are not relevant,” the angel argued. “We were sent to guard the tree and that is what we’ll do. Many have tried over the years past, but no one has ever stolen from the tree.”

  I smiled slightly and took a step towards them, my dragon’s teeth flashing in a way that was meant to look innocent, but was probably not helping my cause. “That’s not true, you know it isn’t. Twenty years ago, one of Ellyllon’s daughters came. She left with a branch from the tree and killed the demon who sought to overthrow her father’s house.”

  Their faces went pale, revealing their shame and loathing. “An isolated incident that will NOT be repeated,” he insisted firmly. “The ones responsible for that transgression have been dealt with.”

  His large, mechanical arm gestured to a secluded area where a distinctly raised patch of earth had a sword standing in it and a helmet resting on its pommel. A chill ran down my spine as I recognized it as a grave, a monument to their fallen brother.

  “I thought you were immortal,” I muttered feebly as I swallowed the lump in my throat.

  The angel’s scowl deepened when he responded simply, “Yes.”

  A moment of clarity struck me then; the realms maintain balance by equal trade. When Caleb fell and clipped his wings to become mortal, that gave Charlene life and the opportunity to grow. I wondered if the same correlation was true when it came to death. Nadia used the branch she took to kill Raffe, a demon. Could that have inadvertently cost an angel his immortality as well?

  If you kill one, then you kill the other, too.

  I didn’t share that suspicion aloud, but in my gut, I worried it may be true – that an angel’s life would be sacrificed in the process. Either way, I had to conquer Lucifer.

  Swallowing hard, I cleared my throat and took a fighting stance in front of them. “Then I’m afraid we are out of options.”

  One of the angels held his sword and swung it around in an impressive display. His aura swirled around him in a fierce electric blue, with sparks flying from the corners of his eyes.

  Nathan chuckled next to me, rolling up his sleeves. “I got this,” he told me. “You go for the tree.”

  I nodded, watching him charge up an electric surge of his own as he tucked his glasses into his backpack. Static electrified the air around him and crackled noisily while it pulled energy from the ozone. His green eyes flashed as one of the cherubim launched himself towards Nate, who reached out his hand to form a conduit, sending out a bolt of lightning. It knocked the angel backwards when it struck him in the chest and sent out a shockwave through the fortress. When it hit the stony wall, it shook and crumbled slightly around the edges. The other cherubim were surprised by the show of force and the magnitude of the small earthquake and had to steady themselves to keep from falling over.

  Nathan felt emboldened by his skill and laughed, raising his hands to pull thorny vines from the earth below and let the angels know exactly whom they were dealing with. The angels jumped back, watching the fairy power grow, murmuring among themselves.

  In a bold gesture, he waved one of them forward, a fierce smile on his face. He made a gesture with his right hand and a plant broke through the ground at their feet, coiling itself around their legs. As if it had a mind of its own, the plant slithered and squeezed tightly. It encased their legs completely and trapped them where they stood.

  “How is this possible?” one of the angels shouted. “There is no magic beyond the force field.”

  “He must be fae!” the leader exploded. “Why would you help a demon steal from the most sacred relic of the Fairy Realm?”

  Nathan smiled and told them, “Because she’s my sister, and the things she’s telling you are true.”

  I laughed as his ingenuity and while they were distracted, I spread my wings again and flew up into the branches of the Tree of Life. It was one of the few ways that I could fight at the same level as the cherubim, since all of my other powers were blocked by the forcefield.

  I gripped hold of one of the branches and tried to break it off, but the wood was tougher than I expected. The Tree itself must have been imbued with fae magic and protected itself against me. When it resisted my first attempt, I landed on the branches’ fork to use the full force of my grip.

  “Just keep them occupied!” I screamed down frantically, desperately clutching the trunk of the sacred tree. I reached higher and grasped the base between two branches and hand over hand, pulled myself into the lush foliage. The tree was older than time itself and the branches closest to the trunk, the ones I was sitting on, were much too thick for me to break off easily. Desperate, I shimmied out onto the swaying ledge and found one that looked like it would be perfect.

  I extended one of my claws and sawed away where it connected. As it cut into the wood, an odd feeling came over me and a voice spoke clearly in my head, “How dare you try to steal my power!”

  I shook my head and blinked, not sure what was happening, and tried once again to break off a branch of the Tree. Almost immediately, however, I was struck by the same off feeling and my mind became cloudy.

  “What makes you worthy to wield the gift of life itself? Immortality is a heavy burden that should not be inflicted lightly.”

  Oh my God, is that the tree?

  Down below, the cherubim hacked away at the restricting vines to free themselves. Nathan continued throwing obstacles in their way, but the angels were too quick, and their skill with a blade unparalleled. The vines he grew, rising from the earth, were whacked away like weeds and the volleys of lightning dodged. These were not typical warriors, they were elite fighters, well trained and placed in this Garden with a singular purpose – to destroy any threats to the Tree, and they weren’t going to give up easily.

  When they cut through the vines, Nathan blasted them with another electric pulse that threw them back into the river. Skilled fighters or not, they were not prepared to be dealing with magical foe. As protectors of the natural world, it was assumed that they were unified in reverence for the Garden’s intended purpose. The barrier kept out celestial and infernal power, but fae were not limited by its safeguard.

  As they landed in the water, Nate electrocuted them with a bolt of lightning. Water was the perfect conduit for his attack and it struck them with a powerful blow and made their bodies shake and convulse uncontrollably.

  While they were clashing, I tried again to break off a branch from the magic tree. It was speaking to me telepathically and actively fighting against my attempts to sever it. The sound of crackling from Nathan’s electric blast caught my attention and the angels grunted in fury as they attacked.

  “Wynn! You need to hurry up!”

  My teeth gritted together as I bore deeper into the wood. I’m not here for my own glory, I sent out blindly into the void. I have to destroy one of the Demon Lords and this is the only way. I’m sorry.

  “The Demon Lords can’t be stopped,” the tree responded. “They have to balance the force of dark and light, it’s integral to mankind’s journey.”

  It’s not my intent to take down all of them, just one. The same one who tempted Eve – Lucifer.

  The branch below me shuttered and I grasped tightly to another to maintain my balance. “Lucifer did what he needed to for mankind to live up to their full potential. If Eve had not stolen from the tree then life would have never left this grove. He thought it was clever, but the universe had bigger plans for men than he knew about.”

  That was then, this is now. He’s got an army ready to invade and a way to reprogram the magical ley lines in the ground. If he breaks through into the Mortal Realm, millions of innocent people will die, fae will die, and the Earth will slowly rot.

  As I gripped the bark in my hand, trying in vain to break it from the branch, it started getting hot and was near burning when the voice rang out clear inside my head, “How can I know your
heart is pure?”

  I swallowed hard, gnashing my teeth in pain as I pulled even harder at the sentient tree. Because I’m willing to sacrifice myself to stop that war from happening. Please, it’s the only way.

  Miraculously, the leader of the cherubim managed to claw his way out of the river and evade another bolt that Nate sent flying his direction. The angel roared, swinging low with his sword to trip Nathan by the heel and he fell hard onto his back. “Ughh!” he groaned.

  Now prone, and at a serious disadvantage, Nathan watched the angel tower over him with his sword and bring it crashing down. He rolled out of the way just in time and the cherubim went chasing after him. The angel was strong, but weighted down by the metal armor, giving Nate the opportunity to get safely out of reach.

  Around me, the tree began to shake and the branch broke off in my hand. The wood snapped between my fingers and released with a satisfying crack! I smiled gleefully and could feel some residual energy tingling through my arm as I held it. Thank you.

  “Use it wisely,” the Tree reminded me. “There will be no second chances.”

  Nodding, I leapt down from the branches with the bounty in my hand and landed on the grass. The ground began to rumble and shift as I stood up with the branch still intact, as if the Earth itself were trying to stop me from leaving with my prize. One of the angels swung his sword and cut across Nathan’s temple, striking him hard and knocking him over.

  “No!”

  I gasped at the sight of it and flew across the clearing with a branch still in my hand, to try and help him up. When I got there, the angel turned its attention towards me and let out a vicious roar. Furious and determined to protect my brother, I kicked the cherubim in his stomach and sent him staggering backwards.

  Even though magic couldn’t help me, I still knew how to fight.

  The angel wheezed to catch his breath as I stooped down to help Nathan to his feet so we could run. He was staggered from the blow to his head, but the adrenaline kept him going until we escaped the stone enclosure. I couldn’t see how deep the cut was on his forehead, all I saw was a gush of blood on the side of his face, but I knew that it was bad. He was bleeding heavily so I grabbed him by the wrist and started running, using my wings to give extra speed. My wings emerged to give me lift and pull me safely from their clutches.

  We bolted through the courtyard with our bounty and left the Tree and cherubim behind us. The ground began to rumble as ley lines shifted, sensing part of their magic had been stolen. The angels were furious and charged after me in rage, swinging their swords like samurai warriors.

  As they started closing in on us, I ordered loudly, “Run!”

  Chapter Nine

  Family Ties

  ML

  Nathan panted and glanced around to make sure we’d gotten out safely. He followed after me as we bolted through the garden, carrying the most precious bounty in the world’s existence. The bark scratched against my skin as I held it to my chest, running through the trees. My feet pounded against the uneven terrain and I had to leap over fallen logs and roots that cropped up in my way. The cherubim were right behind us, cursing our very being and screaming obscenities into the void, but they couldn’t leave the Garden – we could.

  I ran as fast as I could with my wings carrying us, giving extra lift to the desperate retreat, but I couldn’t leave Nathan behind. Instead, I grabbed him by the hand and drug him along to safety. We could see and feel the magic rumbling in the ground beneath us, as the rock and clay slipped apart into a giant chasm. The Earth was crumbling beneath our feet, doing everything in its power to stop us from taking its precious magic. In a desperate attempt to flee, I wrapped my arms around him and carried us across the crumbling landscape to land on the other side.

  I couldn’t carry him the entire way, but I made it past the gates where the Cherubim could not follow. The angels trapped on the other side, unable to fly like I was. My lungs burned as I panted a victorious cry with Nathan, crossing out of the castle ruins. The angels were still coming after us, but we had a distinct advantage now with the chasm of rock and earth between us. Nathan and I had rounded the corner outside when a woman stepped in front of us, blocking the path. “Hello, Wynonna.”

  Her voice was dark and raspy, exactly the way I would have imagined dirt to sound.

  Nate and I nearly tripped over our own feet as we came face to face with the frame of a woman made entirely of clay. Her skin and hands were reddish-brown with twigs and roots mixed in to the earthy tones. She was petite and thin beyond compare, with green vines growing out from around her head and functioning as hair. Together, the combination was a bit alarming, but her bright green eyes were more curious than hostile. Like Seroquel, there was a motherly feel about her that put me at ease. Like other fairies I had met, she had no aura.

  Nathan stared at her in awe, visibly intrigued, and I nudged him with my elbow to remind him not to stare. Lilith watched us with amusement for a moment and gave a little smile. “You don’t need to be afraid,” she assured him gently. “I have no intention of bringing you or your sister any harm.”

  “Lilith,” I breathed out, stunned.

  When I said her name, Nathan turned to me confused. “Lilith?”

  “She’s the mother of all fae,” I informed him quietly. “Adam and Eve left; she didn’t.”

  In the distance, I could hear the angels screaming with rage and searching for another way around. It would only be a matter of time before they crossed the ravine and caught up with us. The only question was whether or not Lilith, the Mother of Fae herself would allow us to leave unharmed. The fairy smiled wider as she brushed her hand against one of the crumbled stones. When her fingers left its surface, it sprouted new and tiny flowers. Her face was difficult to read, since she kept her emotions safely masked, but I got the impression she was pleased to see us.

  “You’ve come a long way, not many people find Eden. You’re quite industrious … strong willed. I like that. Ah yes, the Earthwalker child. I've heard of the courageous girl with hair like fire. You've become something of a legend back where I'm from. I’ve heard stories of your mother too, tragic really.”

  “Thank you. This is my brother Nate.”

  “I’m familiar with the Whelan line. They rejected the gift fae gave them and chose to ostracize themselves from society. So sad.”

  “I’m hoping to change that. Aidan has declared war on my family, on me. He wants to use my blood to build an army that can cross through worlds. I want to destroy him.”

  “Good luck. Many have tried, none have succeeded.”

  I set my jaw in determination. “None of them were me.”

  Lilith turned to me and smiled, seeming amused at my display of confidence. “Indeed, you are the first. While your motives may be pure, I am hesitant to get involved. This battle between angels and demons has been going on for millennia. When it came to this planet, I was here to see it happen. The simple task of eating a piece of fruit – who would have thought such a simple thing would put an entire race at risk of exile? I watched it happen. This is my war and yet I don't know what side I'm on.”

  “Mine,” I insisted firmly as I took a step toward her. “Because it’s just. I need part of the tree to end this vicious cycle.”

  Lilith shook her head, the green vines of her hair swaying slightly. “This is a quarrel between you and Lucifer, it has nothing to do with me. Mankind must fight their own battles. There’s no need for me. I only give life, and watch to see what they do with it.”

  Nathan scoffed on the grass beside me. “Except this time it’s different. You must intervene in order to give mankind the chance to thrive. If Aidan invades the Mortal Realm, hundreds of fae descendants are in danger as well. He doesn’t want to rule one of the Realms, he wants all of them. His power will strangle nature’s hold on this land and you will die, all your children will die. Why do you think the Garden is dying? The plan is already in action. Wynn’s the only one who can stop it.”
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br />   She was quiet for a moment as she listened. I could tell her thoughts were conflicted by the conundrum we’d laid before her. I could almost see the wheels turning behind the endless depths of her kind green eyes. Eventually, she turned back to him and said, “This is not a small thing you ask. I hope you understand that. However, I understand your plight and wish to help you in this task.”

  “I do.”

  “Unfortunately, due to the nature of my creation, I am unable to leave this grove. It’s my prison for the time being. However, my children are free to come and go as they please. I will send Ellyllon and his forces to support your noble claim. They will fight for you.”

  Nate and I both sighed in relief and nodded graciously. “Thank you, Lilith.”

  The woman smiled. “Please, everyone calls me Lily.”

  “Lily,” I corrected nervously as her attention turned to the contraption on her hand. It was a silver bracelet, with separating chains that led to rings on each finger. I hadn’t noticed it before. Now she was carefully removing it from her person, delicately taking off each ring and opening the clasp that held the band together.

  On the center of the wristlet, there was a purple stone embedded in the metal, wrapped in wire and fused into its setting. Much like the necklace my mother wore, it pulsed with magic power.

  Nathan and I watched her quietly, until she walked over to him deliberately and placed it safely in his hand. “Thank you,” he told her a bit uncertain. “What is it?”

  Lilith smiled. “The Black Amethyst, of course. Ellyllon’s father had it commissioned for me eons ago by the finest jewelers in his kingdom. It’s a powerful weapon that will channel your growing power and give you skill to fight in the war to come.”

  “That is extremely generous,” I told her honestly. “I’m sure he will be needing it.”