* * *
Karix landed on the deck of the ship, his wings barely missing the masts. "Captain Kato!"
Kato opened the door to her cabin and ran outside. "Karix?"
"That is my name. I've brought you a present, Captain. Some reassembly is required." Karix set down a barely conscious Jaylen onto the deck.
Kato raced over to Jaylen and took him in her arms. "Help me, someone. Carry him into the cabin. I need help!"
The thin boy with the messy brown hair and emerald green eyes squealed in excitement as he dashed across the deck and straight into his dragon's chest. "Karix, I've missed you!"
"Oh, Liam. It is good to have you back." Karix buried his nose into the boy's hair and took a deep breath of his rider's scent. "You smell amazing. We have so much to catch up on."
"And I have some very important information to relay to you about your mate, Elder Dragon." Jeremiah landed on the deck then pointed at Liam. "Liam, go downstairs into your room until we come for you. I know you want time with your dragon, but right now is not that time. There are things that we adults need to discuss when you are not around. All right?"
"Okay. Are you gonna get Ovi back?" Liam asked, his large green eyes nearly glowing with hope.
"We will discuss this later. Now, go."
* * *
"What did those bastards do to you?" Kato asked as she watched Zeriel cleaning Jaylen's wounds.
Jaylen still shuddered when he spoke those words. "Magic draining."
Zeriel frowned as he dragged the needle and string through a deep cut on Jaylen's right hip. "What are these cuts from? They're burned as well."
"Mage-glow."
"I think I'm gonna be sick." Kato had to cover her mouth and look away. "Zeriel, can you help him? Sew him up or something, and do it quickly."
"I will do what I can. Are you all right, Kato?" Zeriel asked, placing another row of stitches through Jaylen's side. "You're usually not bothered by things like this."
"I know, but I have a soft spot when it comes to Jaylen. Please don't tell me Tarael put balls of mage-glow under your skin."
"He did." Jaylen winced as Zeriel wiped his wounds with alcohol. "He tried to kill me. He wanted to drain my magic until my body shut down. Ah! Zeriel, don't leave the stitches so tight."
"Sorry. I will redo them."
"Where is Liaxa?" Jaylen asked.
"Jeremiah took her to a prison somewhere secluded to hold her until we decide what actions to take."
"Very well. Kato, can I have a moment alone with Zeriel?"
"Why? What are you hiding from-"
He took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "Please. It's nothing that you need to worry about. Just annoying and tedious angel business."
"You'll tell me if it's anything important, right?"
"You have my word, dearest."
Once Kato had left the cabin and the door closed behind her, Zeriel sat on the bed next to Jaylen and took his hand. "What do you have to tell me?"
"Details. I know Kato doesn't want to hear them and she doesn't need to worry about me as much as she already does. But you need to know what really happened. Zeriel . . . I don't think I can do this anymore."
"Do what anymore?"
Jaylen held up his arm where the blood-soaked stitches glistened in the lamplight from the bedside table. "This. I'm eighteen years old, but what do I have? No wife, no children, not even a house to my name. Instead, I have been brutalized, tortured, broken, and starved. For what? Absolutely nothing. My body is falling apart, but I'm so young. I think it's a safe bet to say that I'm not going to have a very long life."
"Don't say things like that, Jay."
"It's true. You know it as well. That became all too clear during the magic draining." Jaylen's voice became airy, smaller, and quiet. "I was dying. I felt my body shutting down."
"How did it compare to the soul purge exorcism in Ilyan?" Zeriel asked, tying off some of the new stitches.
"Worse. A million times worse. I may have less physical trauma from this, but something inside of me has been damaged beyond repair. I doubt I'll ever recover from what Tarael did to me. He broke me. For the first time in my life, through everything . . . I think I finally broke. I don't know if I'm actually all right, but I do know one thing. If I have to continue going through all of this . . . kill me. Just kill me now. If you won't, I'll do it."
Zeriel tucked Jaylen's messy bangs behind his ears. "I will personally ensure that it doesn't happen again. You've sacrificed enough for all of us. Back in The Veil, I should have stood up to those angels and protected you. This is my fault, Master."
"No. They would have killed Kato. I surrendered to them in order to keep her safe."
"Was it worth it?"
Jaylen sighed, his lungs still aching from the magic draining. "I love Kato, but I honestly don't think that I would make the same call if faced with having to endure another magic draining. I can't do it. Does that make me a bad person?"
"Not at all. We would have found a way to save her."
"Don't get me wrong. I would give my life for Kato. But I won't go through that torture again. I can't."
Zeriel went to the desk and poured each of them another cup of peppermint tea. "So, how did you escape? Did Nimiel stop the torture?"
"No. Nimiel helped me after I released myself."
"You released yourself? How?"
"I followed your advice. I let Finalis take control. But it wasn't Finalis. Finalis didn't answer me because I am Finalis. I was able to awaken my powers when I was at my lowest. There's nothing possessing me. I am Finalis. I am the Angel of Darkness."
"I feared as much." Zeriel handed the white porcelain teacup to Jaylen. "We will make this work somehow."
"Zeriel, I don't think you understand. I snapped inch-thick steel shackles cleanly in half. I was able to destroy angelic mage-glow. And it wasn't just any common angel's mage-glow. I shut down Tarael's magic. We both know how powerful he is."
"That is true . . . and concerning. What do we do about it?"
"Nothing, absolutely nothing. This power, no matter how unreliable it may be, is a blessing. As Finalis, I firmly believe that I can accomplish something. This may very well be the key we've been looking for that we can use to unlock our victory. Think about it. If I can destroy angelic magic, then no angel can stand against us. That leaves Heaven fully unprotected."
"More than that. It means that Carvael won't stand a chance against you. You can finally destroy him."
Jaylen set his teacup down and grinned as he moved to the edge of the bed. "Hand me my pants. I'm going to see if Nimiel has any-"
Someone screamed out on deck as a loud thud hit the wood. The commotion grew to frantic shouting. Kato's voice rose above it all, calling Jaylen's name.
"Guess I'll go see what is going on out there." Jaylen pulled his leather pants on then tied the laces on the chest of his black tunic.
"Jaylen, get out here. I need your help!"
"On my way, Kato." Jaylen painfully rushed to the door with Zeriel behind him then pulled it open. What he saw made him gasp.
A white-haired man with extremely black shimmering skin that was covered in white runes was naked and motionless on the deck, surrounded by raven feathers. The slender man's chest only lightly moved with his audibly labored breathing.
"Xair!" Jaylen ran to him, despite his soreness, and touched the Ka'taylin's face. "Wake up. Come on, Xair."
Xair's purple eyes flashed open. "Oh thank the Arcanas. I'm not a bloody bird anymore."
Jaylen took his hand away and stared at the gooey blood on his fingers. "You're injured."
"I don't even care. Be a good boy and get me out of this bloody mage-glow before I burn."
"Your accent is coming through, Xair."
"Again, I don't give a damn. Help me up."
Chapter 8
"You truly were starving, weren't you?"
Xair ravenously ate the pile of salted pork, biscuits, and gravy as h
e practically perched on the edge of the chair in excitement. His normally strict manners and cultured nature was overturned by the dire need for nourishment that he wasn't able to acquire during the nearly year and a half of being trapped in his raven form. He reveled in the tastes, the smells, the way the hot food filled his stomach in ways that no worms or seeds ever could.
"Xair?"
Xair couldn't spare even a single moment to acknowledge their persistent questions.
"Xair Korvin!"
"What?" He looked up from the plate of food that had somehow spilled down the front of the robe they had given him to wear. Xair suddenly felt extremely embarrassed. "Forgive me."
Jaylen laughed and handed him a napkin. "Here. It's fine. I understand. You should have seen me after the five months I spent in the isolation cell in Cilona. I was literally starving to death."
Xair wiped the white gravy from his chin then removed the stained robe. "I don't know what came over me. But thank you for the meal. It was beyond needed."
"No problem." Kato said as she draped a clean robe across Xair's shoulders. "We are here to help you in whatever ways you need us. You're our friend, Xair. It's nice to have you back in human form."
"You have no idea."
"Speaking of you being human again, why are you human again, exactly?" Zeriel asked. "Did you fully atone for killing off your people?"
"No. That's the strange thing that I cannot figure out. I had only made it through a fourth of the tasks on the list they gave me. I was actually on my way to work on fulfilling another one this morning when I was flying across the Urani Mountains in what used to be Northern Vilyron. Then I blacked out. I don't remember a thing. All I know of it is waking up on the deck out there with blood running down my neck and someone calling my name."
"Does everything work like it should? All your body parts in order? Your magic is working?"
"My body seems to be all right, if not a bit famished. As for my magic, I feel it alive in my veins, so that's a good sign. I haven't tried to summon a demon, so I can't make a call on that front."
Kato shrugged her shoulders. "Go ahead."
"Here? Are you certain?"
"Be my guest."
"Gracious as always, beautiful Kato." Xair placed his hand against his left ankle to touch the clam shell rune. "I will summon the least threatening demon I have, just in case something goes wrong."
A black swirling mass of shadows spread out across the far wall as arcane energies sparked to life in the air. Moments later, the demon stepped through and the fog vanished.
"Ata-Lin!" The tiny demon ran to Xair and grabbed his arms as she jumped up and down excitedly. "Pick me up, pick me up!"
Xair couldn't help but smile as he lifted the girl in his arms and smoothed her red pigtails. "It has been a long time, Kiki. What have you been up to lately?"
"Running."
"For fun?"
"No! To get away from the mean ones."
He could see the fear in her pale orange eyes. "Mean ones? Who are they? Inquisition werewolves?"
The girl whimpered and shook her head. "Demons. Bigger demons. They turned all angry. They've been fighting and arguing. I got scared."
Xair's glee instantly morphed into seriousness. "Names. Give me names."
"Shaz, Tixina, Olvis, Oron, and Krivel."
"Those are my demons."
"Yes! And they're making your others join them."
"Join them for what?" Xair asked, sensing more than just some squabble or disagreement.
"I dunno. Krivel is their leader."
"All right, Kiki. You need to go back now, okay? I'm going to speak with your mother now."
"Okay. Bye bye, Ata-Lin!" The girl skipped through the shadowy portal that reappeared on the wall.
Xair let out a low growl of frustration as he touched the rune shaped like a cluster of berries on the back of his neck. "Quora, come to your Ata-Lin."
Just like before, the demonic portal swirled to life, giving passage to a tall slender scaly-skinned demon with blue fins. The demon sniffed the air a few times then glared at Xair, her bright orange slanted eyes glowing with passion. "My daughter was here. I smell her scent. What have you done to Kiki?"
"Kiki is fine. I need to speak with you, Quora. Tell me what is going on amongst my demons."
"First, I demand that you give me my daughter back."
"Demand?" Xair chuckled, his hand moving lower to his belt where his purple glass dagger rested. "You don't have the right to demand anything from me, demon. I am your Ata-Lin, your Master. I hold your leash and I can make you obey me. Do not anger me. I realize you are worried about your daughter, but I wouldn't have sent her away if she was going back into a dangerous situation."
The demon's eyes appeared to fill with tears. "You don't know what it's like to be a parent."
"No, I don't. But I do know what it's like to have a bunch of demons under my command who all bicker and behave like children. I am more of a true father than any of you have ever had. Name one instance where I failed to respond to any of my demons' cries for help."
"I know of numerous times over the past few months." Quora's blue webbed flippers slapped on the wooden floor as she circled around Xair threateningly. "You abandoned us, Xair. You were gone, voiceless, for over a year. We couldn't feel your leashes around us. Where were you?"
"I was . . . busy and incapable of responding or even hearing your cries. What has been occurring in my absence?"
"You're in danger, Ata-Lin." Quora looked over Xair's shoulder. "Jaylen Corrifus? You keep dangerous company, Xair. But Jaylen isn't the one in immediate danger. You are. It's a battlefield in Hell. Most of the demons have either joined up with that bloodthirsty Nephilim or they have fled into The Veil and the human world. You want to know how my life has been the past year and a half? I had a son."
His disposition softened a bit. "A son? That's wonderful, Quora."
"Then I lost him. That Nephilim took him and harvested my little boy's soul to give it to some demented human child."
Xair tried to hide his growing concern. "Oh, no. That's terrible."
"I tried to bring my son to you so you could leash him, but you were nowhere to be found. I needed you, Ata-Lin." Quora's anger snapped to life in her hissing voice. "My son needed you. Now he's dead. Now there are rumors going around between your leashed demons. Krivel and Oron are leading a rebellion. They want all of your demons to rise up against you, especially the ones without physical bodies anymore. They want to break free and take bodies wherever they can get them."
"I will summon Krivel and Oron to talk this out peacefully."
"There is no place for peace, not anymore. They are being influenced by the Nephilim."
"Who is this Nephilim?" Xair asked.
"You already know him well, Ata-Lin. His name is Stephan."
"Gavin's covenant partner?"
"The same."
So, it had come down to this. "I see. Go find Kiki and get her somewhere safe. If you need me, call. I will hear you now."
Once the demon had left and all the arcane energies had cleared from the room, Jaylen attempted to get more information. "Xair-"
He waved his hand. "Don't ask me any questions. You know as much as I do. Please allow me some private time with my Ili-Anan. She will be happy to know that I am human again, and she may have some ideas as to what I need to do next."
"Amari is below deck in her room."
"Thank you, Kato. I will find her."
* * *
Kato watched Jaylen silently sleeping, curled up in a blanket cocoon on the bed. The only sign she had that he was still alive was the occasional slight whimpering sounds he made as he dreamed. She hoped they weren't nightmares. They had both had more than their fair share of nightmares, and neither one of them needed to lose any more sleep. With everything Jaylen had recently lived through, it was best if he could not dream at all and simply rest instead. As she finished up plotting the course to their next destina
tion on the heavy parchment maps, Kato heard the window behind her swing open ever so gently. The sea breeze made her hair stand on end.
"Kato, is this a bad time?"
She spun around in her chair to see the tall blond seraph with the large hazel eyes filled with concern. "Jeremiah? What are you doing here? I thought you were busy with your next mission."
"I am. You are my next mission. Just this. Kato, I want you to have something." The diamonds in Jeremiah's ears glimmered in the lantern light as he stepped up to her. He placed a tiny silver bell in her hand.
"Your seraph bell?"
"Yes. I will be leaving for awhile to convene with my small band of personal angel protectors and begin Cael's education away from the . . . unsavory forces around here. I don't want him to be distracted. While I am gone, I need to ensure that you and everyone else here are protected. If you so much as smell Divinus, you ring that bell and I will come here as quickly as I can with my angels to arrest or kill Divinus."
"Do you think he will try something?"
"I have no way of knowing if he will or not. But I can't take any more chances. You are like a beacon to Divinus. He will find you eventually, no matter where you go. He wants you more than anything. So as long as you are alive, you will be unwilling bait. This way, you have me and some angels who can assist you."
Kato clasped the bell tightly in her palm. "Thank you, Jeremiah. Divinus will find me again and when he does, he will kill me."
"I won't let that happen. You have my word as a seraph that Divinus will not harm you."
"But if something happens and I die, please don't send me to someone else in Purgatory. I want you to be the one to guide me."
"You have my word, Kato Vallen. However, that won't happen for many, many years."
* * *
Shirtless and with his pants falling down, a sweat-drenched Xair opened the door to his room below deck to see Jaylen on the other side with a concerned look on his face. Xair took a second to catch his breath. "What do you need, Jaylen?"
Angel of Darkness Books 6-10 Page 18