"You're lying. I can see his father doing something like that, but not the high priest. We all held our religion very dear to our hearts."
Carvael grabbed the corner of the bed then pulled it away from the wall. "Then explain this."
The floor was warped a little around the edges of what appeared to be some sort of hinged opening. "A trap door?"
"Your friend had many secrets, Xair Korvin." Carvael bent over then pulled the cut planks up to reveal a small compartment. He held up a black leather book with purple runes and gold bindings. "The Draconia Lexicanum. The original, mind you. Not one of the copies or the false ones. Nope, this is the real deal. Bound in Ka'taylin magic and perfectly authentic. It's all right, Xair. We're friends here. You can stop pretending to not have any clue about this thing. I know it's Ka'taylin. Everyone knows that. What I don't know is how to dispel the runes on it that keep this thing eternally shut tight. That's where you come in."
"And what makes you think I would ever help the likes of you?"
"Oh, I forgot my manners." Carvael thrust his hand out, sending a wave of energy at Xair, instantly dropping him to his knees and securing him there.
Xair struggled and pulled against the invisible bindings. "What is this? What did you do to me?"
"Just one of the many things I was able to learn from reading the copies of this book. The Draconia Lexicanum is about taming and harnessing the full power of dragons. You are half dragon, so it works on you as well. I need to know what is hidden in this actual version that is so highly guarded by your people's magic. There are pages missing from the forged copies circulating around Wolfekin. I need to know what is on those pages. And you're going to help me."
Xair spit at him. "Never."
"Oh, Xair . . . and here I thought we were friends. Your father-"
"Do not speak of my father."
Carvael waved his hand dismissively then went back to examining the mysterious book. "You truly have no room to be issuing orders to me, boy. I know you worked under the leadership of a man named Jaycob Colif Tamerlayn-Sequarius of Destfort."
Xair's breath left his lungs. It had been so long since he had heard that name.
"He wrote this book with your help and Dayxi's help. He came to Ka'tayl before you went all homicidal on everyone and you helped him with his research. I need to know why Dayxi had the book after so long and what he was working on."
"I don't know. I have not spoken to Dayxi since he left Ka'tayl. That was decades after Jaycob Tamerlayn-Sequarius returned to the northern continents. I never heard from him again."
Carvael ran his fingers over one of the nearby intricate carvings of a dragon with outstretched wings on the windowsill. "But you have been in contact with his grandson."
"Grandson?"
"Different surname to hide his identity, of course. But it's him. A little thief with bright green eyes, believes he is dead, and is mated to your dear daddy?"
"Liam?" Xair asked.
"Ah. There it is. That spark of realization. Liam carries Jaycob Tamerlayn-Sequarius's blood in his veins. You have also been in contact with Jaycob's grandfather as well. Demon blood and angel blood cancel each other out most of the time so the end result is a human with very little remnants of either."
None of this made sense. "An angel? Liam is related to an angel?"
"Oviel, of course. Don't tell me you didn't know. Oh, that's right. Jaylen and his group of misfits mistook Oviel's affections for something else. Liam is very important to the workings of dragons. Why do you think Karix was so apt to take him as his rider?"
"But Jaycob Tamerlayn-Sequarius was not immortal. How could he have lived so long to be Liam's grandfather?" Xair asked.
"That's the part I need this book opened to figure out. Somehow, by studying dragons, Jaycob was able to unlock immortality. I want it."
"You're a Holy Angel. What do you need more immortality for?"
Carvael mindlessly rummaged through the cabinets, tossing various empty bottles and discarded papers onto the floor. "An undying army, of course. If my soldiers and angels never fall, then I can never be defeated. It is truly simple, my Ka'taylin friend. You were once an ally, one that I had true hope for. I saw so much potential in you to be a member of Eternal Eclipse, but you had to join forces with Jaylen. It's disappointing, really."
"I'm not helping you."
"Fine." Carvael tossed the Draconia Lexicanum on the bed and went to the door. "Then you can stay here and think about it more. It's not like you'll be going anywhere."
"You're leaving me here?"
"Of course." Carvael waved his hand, releasing the magic bonds and sending Xair to the floor on his wounded back. "Your back is like raw meat, isn't it? Well, there are more whippings where that one came from, I'm sure. If you ever want out of this place and your freedom back, all you have to do is call for me and agree to help. Until then, enjoy being a slave."
Chapter 14
Zeriel knelt down in front of the makeshift stone oven in one of the tents in camp to carefully slide out a tray of freshly baked cinnamon buns, Jaylen's favorite. The warm cinnamon and honey tantalized his senses and made his mouth water, but these were for his Master. Zeriel stirred the bowl of white cream cheese icing once more before drizzling it over the steaming buns. It melted into the pastries, leaving them coated in a shining white glaze. Perfect.
As he carried the tray to Jaylen's tent, Zeriel watched the troops who were already hard at work with their training for the day. The mage-glow had barely started glowing in the pinks and oranges of the artificial sunrise and dew still clung to the leaves of bright green grass that had sprung up from the mud to replace the dry mangled brush. Perhaps the seemingly eternal winter was finally coming to an end. It was doubtful, seeing as the sun still had not been found. But Zeriel had hope.
Everyone was busy and the camp was filled with the sounds of metal clashing, horses neighing, and generals barking orders. The angels were lined up in rows in front of trees with bright red targets painted on the bark, learning how to use bows that they actually had to aim with instead of the silver ones with glowing arrows that they lost when they fell. Karix and Liam were flying overhead, directing the drills from the air. Jeremiah and Nimiel were chatting while they observed the troops. Brinx and Trevor were stealing a minute alone behind one of the supply tents, thinking they couldn't be seen. Oviel and Doran were busy at one of the campfires mixing some sort of concoction or potion for Sola knew what. Leader was making his rounds as he issued orders to his ex-slave soldiers and instructing them on how to fight in various weather conditions. Every day, more and more men and boys took up the Vilyron banner and joined their ranks to prepare for the inevitable fight that everyone knew was quickly approaching.
Just on the other side of the tree line, a village was growing in the forest. Refugees, healers, merchants, and families from Pink Tree had started building their own homes to be close to their king and help in whatever ways they could. Wagons filled with cured meats, furs, iron, steel, and flour came at all hours of the day and night to replenish supplies for the camp. It was truly a sight of cooperation and loyalty for even a once-fallen king. The yellow banners flew in the breeze on top of every tent as the symbols for freedom, a higher truth beyond falsified scriptures, and most of all . . . they were for Jaylen.
As soon as Zeriel stepped into the tent he shared with Jaylen, he gasped and set the tray down on the table. "What happened in here?"
Jaylen was clothed only in his underwear as he was stretched out on the floor of the tent. Dark red and pink scratch marks covered his pale skin, some trailing from his ankles all the way to his neck. He was staring up at the ceiling as he mumbled something incoherent under his breath and traced the black X on his chest. Sweat trickled down his reddened face and pooled below his mud-caked hair. Dark red blood oozed out of a bruised and busted lip.
"Jaylen? What happened? Here, let me help you." Zeriel removed his oven mitts and black wool coat then rolled up his sle
eves before kneeling beside him. He slowly reached out to help him sit up. "Jay, talk to me."
Jaylen looked at Zeriel then shook his head a few times. "Nothing. I'm fine."
"You're not fine. Whatever this is, it's not good. You have to tell me what's going on. That's it. I'm not leaving your side anymore, not even for a few minutes. Jeremiah told me how he found you down by the river with this cut on your face and your sword broken. If something is going on, you need to open up and tell me. It's me, Jaybird. You can tell me anything."
"Nothing." Jaylen wiped the blood from his lip on the back of his hand then stared at it like it was foreign substance. "Blood."
"Yes. Your blood. You're bleeding. What did you do to your lip?"
"I . . . I'm not sure. I don't know what's going on. I'm confused, Zeriel. Hold me."
Zeriel was more than happy to oblige. He cradled his Master in his arms as he slowly hummed the haunting paladin dirge to him and stroked his hair. The minutes dragged by with Jaylen's breathing becoming more normal and his sweating dissipating. There were so many questions that Zeriel needed to ask, but he was afraid of the troubling answers that may await him.
Jaylen sighed as he rested his face against his angel's shoulder. "I miss Xair."
"I know. But he's long gone, Jay. Sometimes people we care about simply vanish and never come back. Speaking of vanishing, we received word back from the scouts you sent to track down Naomi the centaur. She is nowhere to be found."
"Maybe she found a way back into The Rift."
"Maybe."
"Not now, Kato. I can't tell him yet."
Zeriel took Jaylen's chin in his hand then turned his face to look at him. "Who are you talking to? Are you talking to Kato?"
Jaylen clutched his hands over his ears as he screamed. "Stop, you! You let her go! I won't let you hurt my wife. Just go away and leave me alone. You already got what you wanted from me. Don't take this too!"
"Jay, what's going on?"
Jaylen began hitting himself in the face and chest. "No!"
Zeriel grabbed him then pinned him down on the floor of the tent under his weight. Sitting on his Master's stomach with the boy's hands pressed down into the hard-packed dirt to keep him from hitting himself was bizarre to say the least. "Jaylen, don't make me restrain you while I go find help."
The boy continued to scream and thrash under Zeriel's weight. "No, please! I can't do it. I can't do it anymore. Just leave me alone!"
* * *
Jeremiah reached into the wooden crib in his tent that was covered in ancient relics, maps, and journals for identification and research. He then picked up the green-winged baby angel in his arms. "How is my little buddy today?"
Cael giggled and flapped his tiny wings in jubilation as he latched onto Jeremiah's canvas coat and suckled on one of the mother of pearl buttons. His pale cheeks were flushed and warm to the touch.
"I think you might be coming down with something. I will make sure the healers bring you a soothing tonic. Then you can be all better and back to your bouncy self." Jeremiah held the ishim up in the air and kissed his tiny nose. "We can't have you getting sick now, can we? No, we can't."
"He loves you, you know?"
Jeremiah turned towards the voice to see Trevor at the entrance to the tent with something extremely unsettling happening. Tears gathered in the burly man's eyes. "Trevor . . . don't cry."
"Cael needs a father who can fully protect him, one who can teach him how to be a good angel. That's not me. He doesn't even reach for me when he needs something. He reaches out for you. He doesn't even know who I am."
"Trevor, I-"
"Don't." Trevor interrupted him coarsely. "I'm tired of pretending that this is going to work out when we both know it can't. You can have Cael . . . permanently."
"Why would you-"
"Don't ask me questions that I cannot answer, Jeremiah. You and Brinx can raise him right to be the angel he needs to be. Oviel was right. Angels and humans should never have children. Humans can't raise angels. We're too useless."
"Why would say that?" Jeremiah asked, cradling Cael in his arms.
"Look at you. Look at Zeriel and Oviel. Look at Carvael. You angels have it all. Power, blessings beyond imagination, and immortality until you fall. What I wouldn't give to have wings to fly."
"Trust me. Flying isn't all good. Blizzards are awful."
Trevor was not amused. "You know what I mean. Humans, even Ka'taylins, can never even begin to compare to angels."
"Why would you say something like that? Do you not know the reason angels were created? We were created by Sola to protect the most precious things in existence. We were created to protect human souls. Humans can feel emotions and relationships on levels that even fallen angels struggle to understand. Even angels who have been living alongside humans for centuries cannot fully understand them. You have no reason to be jealous of us, Trevor. We are the ones who envy you. We are bound by false laws and teachings whereas humans are free to feel with their hearts. The only angel I've ever met who seems to nearly be human is Zeriel. But that is because of all the pain and suffering he has been put through. That kind of trauma can slowly turn an angel into something nearly human. It is not a pleasant process. We envy you because humans have the innate ability to stay strong and to overcome things that Sola herself would have nightmares about. Your perceived weakness is not weakness at all. Rather, it is strength that is building and being saved for the moment you truly need it. Angels would use it right then to get through whatever issue they had. But humans? Humans know to persevere then call on that intense strength to get them through the worst times. It is truly admirable."
Trevor scoffed and looked down at the floor. "I don't know what to say to that."
"I wasn't controlling the human souls who came to Purgatory after their passing. I was their loyal servant. Whatever they needed to assist their journey in the afterlife was mine to give and to ensure that they were protected. That was all I had ever known. That and Heaven from a distance. I am very, very old. All I can remember is serving human souls. That was the most rewarding and frightening part of it all. Humans are like chests of secrets. You can open them up, but you are never prepared for what is lurking inside."
"Then why do I feel so useless?"
Jeremiah smiled. "Because you haven't found what your purpose is yet, Trevor Treylan. Do not feel bad about your son. Cael needs an angel to show him how to be an angel. But you can show him how to be human. He is half human after all. Carvael and the others may see the ishim as being unworthy or lesser angels, but not me. They are the ones who can relate the most to humans because they are part of them. It's a beautiful concept, one that frightens the more traditionally-thinking angels. But I see great potential in Cael. I want to work with you to help raise him right."
Zeriel suddenly barged through the flap with a panicked look on his face. "Jeremiah, I need your help. It's Jaylen."
Jeremiah handed Cael to Trevor. "What is the problem?"
"I think Kato has possessed him."
"That's impossible."
"He keeps talking to her and saying no all the time. This explains why he's been acting crazy. You have to get that pendant away from him before he gets hurt."
"Kato is not a malevolent spirit." Jeremiah said. "The only person she would possibly want revenge on is Divinus and he's dead. Unless . . . "
"Unless what? Jeremiah, say it."
Jeremiah bit his lip then began pacing nervously. "Tell me the truth. We are no longer serving the Heaven that made the laws to punish rogue mages who tamper with their minds and souls to achieve greater power. I will not persecute you or anyone else involved with this. I have to know if you want me to help Jaylen. Is he or has he ever been something called a spell weaver?"
"You need to speak with Oviel about that."
"I'm taking that as a yes. Well, this perfectly explains everything involving Jaylen. When was his soul awakening performed?" Jeremiah asked.
; "When he was fifteen."
"Before The Cleansing that you stopped?"
"Even before that, yes."
Jeremiah nodded as he thought it over. "Then it's not Kato who is playing around with Jaylen's brain. Jaylen is."
"Hold on." Zeriel was growing too confused to understand much. "What? How can he be messing with his own mind like that?"
"What part of Jaylen is Finalis don't you understand? But during the soul awakening that Oviel performed on him, his soul became extremely powerful, but also extremely open to invaders. When did Gavin mark him? I heard this happened at one point as well."
"Yes. Gavin marked Jaylen on his back before the soul awakening."
"With a soul already claimed by a demon, the soul awakening would need to be performed with a demon's claw as one of the primary ingredients. If I know Oviel, I would hazard a guess that he used an angel feather instead. Am I right?"
Zeriel nodded in agreement.
Jeremiah watched Trevor bouncing Cael on his hip. "Then when Jaylen's soul was opened, the angel feather and the demonic mark sent his soul splitting into two separate parts. One claimed by Hell, one claimed by Heaven. That rift made it incredibly easy for any malicious spirit or being to take up residence in the poor boy's soul and therefore his mind. Which is why Divinus was able to hide there so easily and for so long. That is also why the archdemon was able to eat Jaylen, but he survived."
"So is it Kato inside him or isn't it?"
"Oh, no, my friend. It is simply Finalis. Jaylen is, and has been, at war with himself. This is the natural decay of his fortitude. He's giving in. With how long this has been brewing, I am very surprised that he has managed to hold out for this long. Surely there had to be signs that his mental state was waning."
"He has always been unstable." Zeriel hated to admit it, but it was the truth.
"It's sad, really." Jeremiah sighed. "This is why soul awakenings were banned. It is inhumane to subject young people to this kind of terminal operation for something that may or may not work."
Angel of Darkness Books 6-10 Page 37