Chapter 15
Day 12: Night
Vilyron Military Camp, Outer Ilyan, Central Vilyron
Various Infantry, Angelic, and Allied Forces
Jaylen cried out and fell to his knees as the burning sensation ripped through his chest. He coughed as the shadowy mass spilled from his mouth, leaving him hollow and weak. It was all he could do to remain on his hand and knees with the sudden vacancy within him. He gasped for air as he watched the shadows take shape in front of the bonfire. A tall human-like figure stood there, completely made of dark magic. Without thinking, Jaylen lunged at the shadow man and swung his sword.
The shadow expertly dodged then chuckled darkly in a voice Jaylen knew all too well. "Tisk tisk, Jaylen. You wouldn't want to do that, would you? If you kill me, you kill yourself. We are the same. We are two halves of a whole soul. I am Finalis. I am Jaylen."
"You are not me. You will never be me!"
Divinus laughed dryly from inside James's body. "Ornery little bugger, isn't he?"
The soldiers all turned to the south where howling came from the tree line of the forest. Red eyes peered out from the darkness and grew larger as hundreds raced towards them. The bristled black wolves gnashed their teeth together and barked in their ravenous hunger. One of the soldiers called back to the camp. "Werewolves, sir!"
Jeremiah reached up to hit Jaylen's arm, his hands still bound. "It's Wolfekin. They know about their queen."
Leader smoothed his mustache as he mounted his horse. "Don't worry about it, Jaylen. I'll have my boys take care of it. You focus on those two."
Jaylen nodded then looked back to Finalis and Divinus, but his mouth fell open in shock. They were gone. "Shit."
Trevor, of all people, raced up and began undoing the chains around Jeremiah's ankles and wrists. "Jeremiah, get out there and fight."
"Are you helping me, Trevor?" Jeremiah asked.
"I want you to go die for this cause. So go get dying. Jaylen has better things to do than to tame some mangy mutts. First things first." Trevor picked up a stick from the fire then grabbed Jeremiah's hair to steady him as he pressed the orange glowing end against the demon mark in the middle of his back.
Jeremiah groaned as it seared his flesh and branded over the mark.
"There. Now go." Trevor tossed the stick back into the fire. "Your orders, Jaylen?"
"Put down the werewolves then get everyone back here as soon as possible. We can't wait until morning. We ride to Heaven tonight."
"Do you want me to send word to the ships in the harbor?" Trevor asked. "Captain Dave Mandobi is out there with his ship as well as pirates from Krenoa Island."
"Have them set up a blockade along our harbors and all shores near Wolfekin. Tell them to engage on sight."
"Yes, sir."
Jaylen looked up towards the starry sky. "Come on, Zeriel. Give me the sign. We're ready."
* * *
While the fighting continued out in the fields, Oviel instead focused on his work. He had to focus on the end result, not the steps still needed to get them there. If they were going to storm Heaven in the morning, he needed to get Ulon into a better state, one good enough for him to ride with someone up to Heaven. He went into his tent where the young Ka'taylin boy was curled up on the quilt in the back corner. He picked up the potion he had just made for him then knelt down beside the boy. "Ulon, sit up for me and drink this, okay?"
Ulon wearily sat up and leaned against Oviel's chest as he slowly sipped the sticky orange liquid. The boy wiped his mouth on his arm then whispered to the angel. "I know your secret."
"What secret?"
"About Cael."
"You do?" Oviel asked, taking the cup from the boy. "Who told you?"
"Sola. She's angry that you didn't do what you were supposed to do."
"Something tells me you aren't actually speaking to Sola."
The boy pointed his tiny finger past Oviel's shoulder. "There's an evil angel behind you."
Oviel stood up and turned to see Axaniel standing in the middle of the tent, silently glaring at him. "Axa."
"Oviel."
"What are you doing here?" Oviel asked, eyeing the man he used to love.
"I came here to make sure you did what I asked of you. Seems I was right to trust you. I wouldn't have come in here to see you if you had disobeyed, you know?"
"I'm aware. Well, it's done now. Cael is dead."
"Quite." Axaniel unbuttoned his shirt then blew out the nearby candle. "Morale seems to have been shaken, especially regarding Brinxael, Trevor, and Jeremiah. Remember, Oviel. In order to keep a snake from biting, all you have to do is chop off the head. The rest of the body is useless."
"I did as you asked."
"And you were a very good angel for it. Now for your reward."
Oviel closed his eyes as he felt Axaniel's strong arms surround him and his lips touch against his. He moaned with pleasure, but his hands were tightened into fists. As their kiss became rougher, he was pushed backwards against the table with Axaniel's weight pressing down on top of him. Oviel slid his left hand behind the other angel's neck as he continued to kiss him. For a few minutes they stayed there, engaging in tense waltz of passion, domination, and suppressed anger. There was nothing Oviel could do aside from lay there as Axaniel began to remove his clothes with one hand and Oviel's with the other. Axaniel's movements became more demanding and forceful, spinning Oviel around and pushing him down against the top of the table.
With his face against the wood table, Oviel gritted his teeth as Axaniel began massaging his wings and nipping at the back of his neck. He tried to reached under the table, but his hands were caught in the stronger angel's grasp then pinned down so he couldn't move. When Axaniel kicked Oviel's legs apart, Oviel managed to slip one hand free and return it back to the underside of the table. With a tiny click, the drawer slid open.
Oviel gasped then tried to rub Axaniel's leg behind him. "Axa!"
"Silence."
"Be gentle. I want to take this slow. Kiss me again."
Axaniel grabbed Oviel's shoulders then rolled him over to roughly kiss him, ripping at his lips with his teeth. But then he stopped. Axaniel's eyes grew wide as he started panting and a stripe of bright blood trickled out of his mouth. He stood up and looked down to see the hilt of the dagger sticking out of his stomach.
Oviel took the dagger again and twisted it violently, pushing in as deep as he could go. He forced the bleeding angel to his knees and stood over him as he withdrew the blood-stained blade. Over and over, he shoved it into Axaniel's body, carving it to pieces as all of his anger was channeled from his mind to the blade. Every thrust reminded him of the pain Axaniel had caused everyone, all the hatred, all the fear. With one last penetration, Oviel yanked the dagger so had that it snapped at the hilt and sprayed blood across the walls of the tent.
Axaniel crumpled to the floor in a pool of dark blood.
With bruises on his thighs, scratches on his back, and the blood of the angel who used to be his best friend on his body, Oviel silently found his clothes in a pile where they had been roughly torn from him and dressed. He didn't care to clean away the blood. As he pulled on his pants and robe, Oviel began to cry. He had done it. He survived, and it was over.
Ulon made a whimpering sound from the corner where he had been the entire time. "Oviel . . ."
"Shh, Ulon. I'm sorry you had to see that. I need you to take the bottle of yellow crystals out to Brinx and have her put them under Cael's nose for a few minutes. They will wake the ishim from his sleep. Please explain to her and Trevor that I apologize for tricking them, but I had to make it appear that Cael was indeed dead by poison as Axaniel had wanted."
"What about you?" Ulon asked, his eyes wide with fright. "You're hurt."
"I'll be all right. It's me, remember? I can make medicine for nearly anything, but I think wine is the medicine I need right now. You go on now, okay? Be a good boy."
Ulon stood and shakily walked to the cabinet
where he picked up the jar of yellow crystals. "I'm feeling better."
"Good. I'm glad. Watch your step. Don't slip on the blood."
* * *
Jaycob's hands were shaking as he mixed the clay mixture in the bowl. "Stay still."
Dusty stayed where he was lying on the table while he watched his friend working feverishly and the howling of werewolves echoed in the night air outside the tent. "How much more work do you have to do for this?"
"Quiet. I have to concentrate, or I'll get the recipe wrong. I don't have my book for this one."
"What are you making?" Dusty asked. "My body?"
"No. Your golem body is already done. This mixture comes with us."
"To Heaven? What in Aldexa are you going to need clay for in Heaven?"
"You'll see. Now, you get a choice." Jaycob set the bowl down then went over to the tall golem in the corner. "You can either have this hulking body and be able to do some real damage on the battlefield, or you can have another eight-inch-tall one like the one you've been in. It's up to you, but know one thing. I'm not going to transfer you again. I can't run the risk of losing you."
Dusty thought for a minute then sighed. "Give the little one, I guess. I can't ride on your shoulder in the big one, after all. Stop shaking. Why are you shaking?"
Jaycob picked up the golem body then dropped it as it moved. "Ah!"
The golem sounded angry. "Get me out of this thing right now."
"Shane?"
"Yes, it's me, you blundering idiot. Get me out of here. You and that old angel tricked me into getting in here. Now I want out."
"No can do. Sorry. You have to stay in there as per Jeremiah's orders. Besides, you will be more useful in there than in your teeny tiny faerie body. I need all the demons I can get my hands on to help with the big plan."
Shane put his hands on his hips. "And that is?"
"You'll see. All you need to know is that we will be taking you to Heaven. You've always wanted to go up to Heaven, right?"
"Of course I want to go into Heaven. It's like the dream of every demon."
Jaycob turned back to his work. "Then you'll stay in that body and help me get Dusty into his."
"Fine. But I'd better get some ambrosia while I'm up there. I heard the stuff is marvelous."
"Deal. I'll get you some ambrosia." Jaycob placed a scalpel into Shane's tiny clay hands. "Hold this for me."
Dusty grabbed the sides of the table and clenched his eyes tightly. "Make this quick, okay, bud? It's gonna hurt, isn't it?"
Jaycob found the other clay golem and set it down on his work space. He opened a jar of white paint then picked up a thin-bladed knife and placed the tip of it against Dusty's forehead. "Aye. It will hurt, but I need you to not focus on the pain. Focus on my voice and my instructions. I need you to do the same thing you did the first time. After I separate you from this body, it's all up to you to get yourself into the golem. Are you ready?"
"Go ahead. Oh, and Jaycob?"
"Aye?"
Dusty grinned, his fangs poking out from between his lips. "I hate you."
Jaycob laughed as he pressed the knife into his friend's skull. "I know."
Chapter 16
The whimpers and pained yelping of the werewolves continued as the troops fought valiantly in the fields. However, Jaylen wasn't watching the battle. He was instead focused on the sky where he waited for any sign from Zeriel. He had been staring up at the stars this entire time, but there was still nothing. When the dragons came back with the troops from the desert, those men joined the fighting as well, some still riding their dragons that they had grown attached to.
Jaylen felt someone tapping on his shoulder. "Yes?"
Gavin moved in front of him and smiled. "I thought I'd find you out there fighting."
"Not this time."
"You're doing better, huh?" Gavin asked.
"Mostly I'm just ignoring how awful I feel. Oviel gave me some stuff that helps with the coughing up blood and the mental breakdowns. So far, so good. I still feel like crap, but I guess that's what I get for having a demon living inside me. I'm still dying, so there's no point in trying to actively cure me. That wastes resources for the people who need the medicine to go on living."
"We'll get you more help after all this is over. Vilyron will need her king."
Jaylen didn't want that title any more than he wanted the constant pain in his never-healing jaw. "They can find another king. I don't know what will happen once we get into Heaven. Truthfully, I don't know if any of this is going to work. I can't think past this moment right now."
"I know how you feel. Zeriel is up there, isn't he? To take out Carvael and get this invasion started?"
"How did you know?"
Gavin tossed his red bangs out of his eyes. "I'm half of a soul I share with Carvael, remember? I know things."
Just when Jaylen had started to give up hope, the sky split open with a pulse of purple energy. "The rift. He opened it. Go sound the horns. We have to move now."
Once the horns were sounded, the soldiers left their battle against the werewolves and jumped onto their dragons. Everyone came into the middle of the camp as the werewolves ran back into the woods for fear of the rift that filled the sky overhead. They circled around Jaylen and waited for his orders. An electric anticipation hung in the late night air.
Jaylen took a moment to compose himself before he tried to spread out his ethereal wings. Nothing happened. He looked at his shoulders where he should have been able to see his Angel of Darkness wings, but there was nothing. His magical left hand was not there either. Just when he started to panic, he came to the realization of what it meant. Finalis was gone. His mind was clear and focused, not muddled by the incessant babbling of that demon. It was such a relief that he nearly broke down in tears.
But he regained his composure. How was he going to get into the rift without wings?
Xair stepped forward and held out his wings. "Don't worry, Jaylen. I've got you."
"Thanks." Jaylen climbed up to sit on Xair's shoulders and held on tight as Xair flew up into the air. Hovering above them, he addressed the masses. "Here is the plan. Sulstair, take your zombies into Heaven first to clear out any immediate threats. Leader, your boys will follow him. Then I need Jeremiah's angels to rain down arrows from the sky over the outskirts of the urban area. Trevor will take half of the infantry straight through the heart of the main streets while the other half will be led by Brinx going in the opposite direction. I want all Eternal Eclipse forces to be choked off and flanked before they can escape. We need every escape route to be blocked. The dragons and their riders along with Garenzen will control the main gates. No one gets out alive. Jaycob will be with the three seraphs to use the demons to provide cover for them to get to Sola's cage. They are our number one priority. If the seraphs fall, we all die. Now, get to the rift!"
They broke through the shadows of the rift and flew up towards Heaven's gates. Even with dragons and angels carrying everyone who couldn't fly on their own, the trip took nearly an hour of flying as quickly as they could. Jaylen watched it all pass by as he clung to Xair's back. No wonder the angels who were cast out of Heaven died horrific deaths when they fell all this way. But he had enough thoughts of death as it was. Instead, he closed his eyes to ignore it until they reached the gates.
Once Xair landed on the slick icy ground outside the front gates that were already opened, Jaylen slid off of his back and held up his hand in the air to keep the troops quiet. As the dragons snorted in excitement and the angels' feathers rustled in the wind, Jaylen stepped up to the golden gates and touched them. Sure enough, they freely swung back and forth with no resistance. He poked his head through them to look to the other side. The streets were empty, dark, and silent. Carvael's barrier seemed to be gone as well. Upon further examination, Jaylen spotted a soft orange glowing on the other side of the city. A fire?
Jaycob stepped up to him with a golem on each shoulder. "Are we good to go? I want to
get this over with as soon as possible. I need to get in and set up. My forces take a while to, uh, summon."
"Yeah. I see you got Dusty in his golem body."
Dusty stood up and bowed. "At your service, King Jaylen."
"Good." Jaylen turned to the massive army behind him then held up one finger. "Sulstair, get in there."
The elf gave Jaylen a dark look before shoving past him. "If I die in here, I'll bring myself back as a zombie just to kill you, Jaylen."
"I would expect no less."
When the army of decaying flesh, broken bones, and black magic shambled past and began laying waste to the buildings of Heaven, Jaylen motioned for Leader and his ex-slave soldiers, Jeremiah and his angels, and both halves of the infantry. Screaming and explosions came from inside the gates as the fighting began.
Jaylen then nodded to Jaycob. "Go ahead. Get set up and I'll bring the seraphs once the path is clear. Listen to me, though. I have to get the signal from Zeriel first. If I don't get a signal, we don't move."
"Yes, sir."
* * *
A jar of clay and a bag of demon claws.
That was all Jaycob needed. With Dusty on his right shoulder and Shane on the left, he raced down the cracked streets as the allied angels and Carvael's angels clashed overhead in the dim mage-glow. Sulstair's zombies and various undead beings were making a complete mess of the shops and cafes down the main road. They were climbing up the sides and on the roofs where they ripped apart the signs and shingles. The ones with torches followed them, lighting everything that could burn on fire. Soon a raging inferno lit all of Heaven.
Dropping down to his knees to avoid a ball of fire from a nearby explosion, Jaycob caught his breath. But that respite was short-lived. He squinted through the thick smoke and the glare from the fires to see what looked to be stars bobbing on the ground at the end of the street. As the seconds passed, he soon realized they weren't stars. They were the glowing orange eyes of demons.
Shane poked Jaycob's cheek. "Incoming, boss."
"I see it. Give me a few seconds. Shane, go be a distraction. Just run around them. They won't be able to catch you."
Angel of Darkness Books 6-10 Page 65