The First to Fall: A Fallen Novel (The Fallen Series)

by Tanisha D. Jones

  In the moonlight, Eli caught of glimpse of Briar’s face and his heart jumped. The angelic smiling man he’d met was gone. In his place was a snarling black eyed monster. His hands were claws with dark ragged nails and his pleasant smile was ruined by rows of silver grey needle like teeth. He snarled and bit at Remy’s arms and neck but failed to connect. Remy had a firm choke hold on him, his arms wrapped like steel bands around Briar’s thick neck. The entire scene was alarming, the fact that Remy was laughing manically made it all the more surreal.

  ***

  Eli didn’t see anymore, he was heading through the remains of his front door to his car. He opened the back seat and gingerly lay Celeste down, covering her with a blanket he’d kept in the trunk for some reason he couldn’t quite remember at the moment. As he rounded the car to get into the driver’s seat, he saw something fly through the living room window and across the yard. It carved a large divot in the lawn coming to a stop in a flower bed. It stood shaking clumps of mud and rocks from its jeans and face, before he realized it was Remy.

  “Get out of here!” He screamed at them, before wiping blood from his nose and mouth with the back of his hand. Eli moved closer to make sure he was okay, when something in the house exploded. They both ducked and covered their heads as glass and wood and metal rained down on them. Eli’s kitchen was no more than a hole at the back of the house. Inside Gaston and Briar sparred like gladiators. Eli watched, in amazement, the surreal sight of the biker clad in leather and chains scrapping with a main in a tailored Armani business suit, a modern day David and Goliath. The image would have been comical if he hadn’t been terrified.

  “Go.” Remy gave Eli a shove towards the car. “We’ve got this.” As he spoke, Gaston was slammed to the ground like a rag doll. Briar was on him in a second repeatedly pounding his face and body with a fist the size of a ham.

  Eli gave Remy a worried look.

  “Get CeCe out of here. We have it. This is the kind of shit that gets my dick hard.” He gave Eli a shove towards the car before launching himself back into the fray. He landed on the giant’s back again, his arms tight around his neck and he bucked like a wild bull. Remy held on, laughing and screaming something incoherently cheerful.

  “Your brothers are fucking lunatics,” he said to Celeste, as he climbed behind the wheel.

  “You haven’t seen the half of it,” she moaned, before falling silent. He looked back at her and she looked pale and tiny curled up on the back seat. His panic rose again and he reached for the ignition before he realized what he’d forgotten.

  “Keys,” he groaned, and cursed through clenched teeth. His keys had been on a peg in the kitchen, a kitchen that was no more than a hole at the rear of his house. He growled and gave the steering wheel a fierce punch and realized that his skin had turned a glossy smooth black. He watched in horror as bright blue symbols etched into his hands and arms, moving upward in a beautifully elegant scroll work that seemed to be on fire. He glanced at his reflection in the review mirror and the face that stared back made his breathe catch. His skin and face was shining onyx, his eyes glowed bright neon blue in the chiseled face of the Fallen One. He absently touched the glowing mark on his chest and stared at his own eyes in wonder. This was his true face, this stone man.

  He was staring when something dark and heavy landed on the hood of the car, shaking the entire vehicle. Before he could register what the thing was, it struck the windshield, raining shards of glass across Eli’s bare chest and face. It reached in with clawing fingers and slashed at his face and neck, hissing in the most repulsive way.

  He needed to get it away from the car, he thought and reached out, not sure if he wanted to grab the Assiri or hit it. But neither of those things happened. He held up his hand and felt an electric current move from his shoulders down his arm to his fingers, where it released with an explosion of white-blue light that hit the demon in its chest and sent it reeling. The force of the bolt sent it head over ass until it slammed with a crack through second floor of the house, shattering the few remaining windows.

  There was a pause in the fighting in the ruins that had once been Eli’s kitchen as the sonic boom echoed through the night.

  “Fuck,” Remy laughed both shocked and impressed, before Briar’s meaty fist connected with his delicate jaw and knocked him across the room. Car alarms sang to life for blocks and in rapid succession. The streetlights exploded casting the narrow street and the surrounding homes into darkness. Remy and Gaston looked at him, eyes wide in shock for a moment before Remy screamed for him to go, and their grappling began again in earnest.

  Eli touched the steering wheel and the engine roared to life. He leaned back so that he could get his feet up over the dashboard and kicked out the shattered windshield so that he could see where he was going. It took two hard kicks of his bare feet on tempered glass before it gave way. He held onto the steering wheel, trying to catch his breath and wrap his mind around everything that had just happened, before backing out of the drive way. Before he tore off down the darkened street, he saw the Assiri rocket up into the darkness, just as another explosion rocked the street. In the distance, he could hear approaching sirens before glass and wood rained on his car, the force shattering the driver’s side window as he roared away, tires squealing as he disappeared into the night.

  ***

  “God Damn it,” Boogie cursed, as she made her way to the front door. “Damn it, Elijah-” She stared as she flung the heavy door open. This was the second time tonight he’d leaned on the doorbell like a crazy person. Her rant was ceased by the sight of him standing barefoot and bloody covered in dirt, glass and wood chips with Celeste’s limp body in his arms. Her right forearm hung limply and was a disturbing tangle of black tinged veins that disappeared under the sleeve of the three sizes too big t-shirt. They reemerged at her neck, twisting around her throat and creeping up her cheek. She was sweaty, her skin a sickly gray, she seemed so small and delicate cradled in his arms.

  Behind them, garbage trucks rattled down the street noisily picking up cans. The sun was just peeking over the clouds and street sweepers were whirling in the early dawn cleaning the French Quarter sidewalks as Eli and Celeste disappeared behind the door of the house on Ursulines Avenue.

  “Boogie, I need help.” Eli choked. “I think she’s dying.”

  “Oh my God,” she gasped and moved aside so that they could enter. “Take her to the guest room.”

  Eli mounted the steps two at a time. He was at the landing when Grace stepped out of her bedroom, no longer holding her glamour; she looked no older than Celeste in pink pajamas with bright green frogs all over them, her thick mahogany hair pulled back into a sloppy bun.

  She gasped and covered her mouth with a hand as they moved past.

  “What happened?” She trailed behind, Boogie on her heels. Eli laid Celeste across the bed.

  “We need a doctor. She was attacked, bitten by something called Assiri.” He stood nervously, running a hand over his face as he spoke, tears making two clean streaks down his soot covered cheeks. “I need a doctor. Can we get a doctor?” His voice was thick and hoarse with panic and fear, it was heartbreaking. Grace touched his arm. “We need someone....she stopped talking, Grace-”

  As he spoke his skin changed from deep chocolate to mottled blue then glossy black. The deep etched scrolls rolled down his shoulders, blue flames rising as his fear and panic and anger rose. Grace could feel the anger rolling off of him in waves and she caught her breath.

  “Shit,” she mumbled under her breath, placing a hand on his chest. “Calm down,” she said forcing him to focus those neon eyes on her. Almost as quickly as it started, the transformation stopped.

  “Okay, okay we’ll get help. You come with me and I’ll clean up that cut,” she said and began leading him from the room. Grace looked back at Boogie and nodded before taking him into the hall bathroom.

  He hadn’t even realized he’d been hurt until he stared at himself in the mirror. He had
a long cut along his forehead that was healing, but was still caked with blood and dirt. She sat him on the side of the tub and began to gently clean his wound.

  “How did this happen?” Grace asked, wiping dirt from his cheeks.

  “Um, must have happened when the kitchen blew up.” He whispered, near tears. “Or when the demon punched out the windshield.” Grace raised a brow but said nothing.

  “Is the doctor coming?” He asked, grabbing her hand and looked at her with wide worried eyes. “Yes.” She nodded and kissed his cheek gently. “We’ll get the best preternatural doctor in the region,” she promised.

  ***

  “I thought you were bringing a doctor.” Eli snapped as Boogie and Grace reentered the bedroom sometime later. Grace wore a pale blue track suit and sneakers, her hair still in a messy bun. Boogie, on the other hand, wore pale green hospital scrubs. She clutched a large patchwork bag in her hands that rattled strangely when she moved.

  “I did. Boogie. She’s a Silver Witch. She practices white magic but knows how to fight black magic as well. Actually, she knows how to fight any magic. I told you we’d get the best, and she is one of the best. If she can’t help her-” She drifted off.

  “I’ll make coffee and some breakfast, you keep CeCe comfortable. She’s going to need you.” She gave his arm a pat before leaving the room.

  Boogie turned the dresser into a medieval pharmacy. She unloaded several brown glass bottles with names or description scribbled on them in fading ancient scrawl. Eli sat on the edge of the bed, and instinctively, Celeste put her head on his lap. She was drenched in sweat, her mouth dry, and her hair sticking to her forehead. The tangles of black veins creeping up her arm had spread across the right side her face and chest. He stroked her sweat soaked hair and watched as Boogie took a closer look at Celeste’s mangled arm.

  “Why’d it spread so quickly? She was fine a few hours ago?” He asked

  “Vigorous exercise – got the blood pumping – moved it faster through the body.” Boogie stifled a grin. “You nearly fucked yourself to death, CeCe,” Boogie laughed at her own morose humor.

  “Boy, whatever it was, sure did a number on you. I’ve never heard of Assiri. Yuck, smells like, Gallu and-something else.” She said, putting on a pair of bifocals that resembled a jeweler’s lens, leaning closer, a cotton swab in her hands. Celeste screamed loud enough to shake the windows as Boogie took a sample of the infection oozing from her arm.

  “Some sort of serpent venom.” She said curiously. “Huh, parasites-I haven’t seen this since-” She looked at Celeste with questioning, worried eyes. “It’s Basilisk.”

  “What? How is that even possible? They’re extinct.” Celeste breathed and Boogie lifted her shoulders in an awkward shrug.

  “What’s a Basilisk?” Eli asked, his face twisted with disgust and worry.

  “It’s an ancient serpentine creature, poisonous and extremely deadly, but they’ve been extinct for thousands of years. There is nothing recorded that has Basilisk venom or anything remotely similar that still exists. But this-this is definitely Basilisk venom.”

  “Can you help her?” Eli asked, his hand absently stroking Celeste’s shoulders.

  “Yea, but it’s going to hurt like a motherfucker. You’re going to have to hold her still.” Boogie went to the dresser and began mixing ingredients from the little brown bottles.

  “Get some towels,” she said, as she completed the mixture. “I also need warm water, clean gauze, bandages and you might want to get a trash can, because she’s going to be puking a lot more.”

  When he returned from the bathroom, Boogie laid out all of the supplies he’d given her, as he stood by and watched anxiously. Celeste drifted in and out of consciousness; she was completely soaked in sweat and lay in the tangled sheets. She looked so frail and lifeless. Eli had never been so scared in his life. He took a nervous step forward, but wanted to stay out of Boogie’s way. Finally, he made his way to the bed, sitting beside Celeste, who turned to face him, a dazed smile on her lips.

  “Hey baby,” she whispered, her lids drifting closed.

  Boogie, finally, had two mixtures complete; one a clear sweet smelling liquid, the other a thick purple black paste.

  “Did you drink from her after this?” Boogie asked, and then looked at Celeste lying in the damp crumpled sheets wearing Eli’s t-shirt and shorts, before taking in Eli in his current state of dress, pants on inside out, shirt backward and shook her head.

  “Of course you did,” she grumbled. Shaking her head in exasperation, she quickly made another mixture of the clear liquid and handed it to him. “Drink this, just in case you managed to ingest some of the poison. I don’t want to have to do this again tomorrow because you couldn’t keep your teeth out of her.” He willingly obliged and gagged a little as it went down. It was thick, sweet and tasted of almond and licorice.

  “What is this?” He choked.

  “Anise, cyanide, wormwood some other herbs you’ve never heard of.” He began coughing.

  “You gave me poison?” He screeched. Boogie rolled her eyes.

  “Calm down. It won’t kill you, but it will counteract the Basilisk venom, you big baby. Could she be pregnant?” Boogie asked. His eyes widened in shock.

  “Boogie-”

  “Did you wear a condom?” She asked, turning to face him, one hand on her hip.

  “Not the first few times.” He mumbled, a bit embarrassed. Boogie gave him a withering look and he averted his gaze. She added something pink to the mixture she’d prepared for Celeste, shaking her head and mumbling under her breath.

  “I taught you better, Eli.” She slapped him on the back of the head. He winced watching her from the corner of his eye warily, but said nothing else as she continued to work.

  “Okay, I need you to get behind her, sit her up and wrap yourself around her. I’m going to need her to keep as still as possible, which is going to be hard, because she’s strong. That may work to her advantage in fighting this. This is going to hurt, a lot, and she may lose consciousness. But I need you to keep her as still as possible. Okay?”

  He nodded numbly, and did as he was told. He sat with his long lean legs wrapped around Celeste’s, his arms wrapped around her chest, pinning her left arm to her side and held steady. Her right arm, swollen and discolored, was propped on a pillow awaiting Boogie. Boogie reached for the liquid first.

  “Celeste, sweetie,” She gave Celeste’s cheek a light slap, rousing her. “I need you to drink this.” She held the bottle to Celeste’s lips and slowly, allowed her to drink. Celeste obliged, her eyes drifting closed as she finished. “This will help to keep it from spreading anymore. It’s kind of an antibiotic, but with a little kick. It’ll purge the poison from her system.” She explained to Eli as she helped Celeste drink.

  “Okay,” Boogie exhaled and nodded to Eli. Celeste moaned and her head fell to the side, her body limp.

  “I love you, baby.” Celeste whispered.

  “I know, I love you back.” He kissed her cheek and exhaled.

  “Here we go.” Boogie’s shoulders tensed as she took Celeste’s limp arm and used a gloved finger to slather the thick purple paste onto her wounds.

  As soon as it touched her, Celeste screamed blue murder instinctively trying to jerk out of Boogie’s grasp. Her body bucked against Eli, who held her tight to him. The pain was devastatingly intense; her mind was a tangle of red and black as the agony seemed to touch every frayed nerve in her body. Her anguish was heartbreaking, and he could feel the tears dropping onto his fore arm as she continued to bellow. Her voice broke as Boogie continued, her head down, her hands moving as quickly as possible.

  Celeste sobbed and kicked, her body tensing anew, with each new torture. Each shriek tore at him, and he felt his own tears fall, if he could he would take the pain for her, he told her over and over in hushed tones whispered into her ear. At one point, he could have sworn he saw smoke lifting from her skin as more and more of the black pus oozed out of h
er and onto the towels that Boogie had laid across the bed; the smell was like death and burning flesh.

  Boogie stopped for a moment, exhaling sharply before she began to press on the wounds, drawing out more of the infection and poison, Celeste bellowed like a wounded animal, digging her heels into the mattress, she pushed back until Eli’s back bounced against headboard. The wall shook and a framed picture fell to the floor with a crash. Her body seemed to levitate for a moment, her mouth open, but no sound would come. When it did, it was hoarse and raw and spent.

  At one point, Celeste dug her fangs into his arm and Eli cursed under his breath. She did not have the gentle touch she did during lovemaking. He assumed this was what it must feel like to be food, warm blood dropped onto the bed; staining the sheets bright red but he held her steady.

  He whispered words of encouragement into her ear. Unable to use her voice anymore, she sobbed quietly for a while, relenting to the torturous pain, and then she was out. She was completely unconscious by the time Boogie slathered on the last of the paste, the poisonous infection snaking out of the holes in her flesh in a sickening way, sizzling as it hit the air. He held her still until Boogie stripped off her gloves. She was sweating, tears in her vivid eyes. Her bright green scrubs were splattered with blood and other more worrying things. She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, and looked at a wilted Celeste with sorrowful eyes.

  “Okay, give it a few minutes, and then we have to clean the wounds and bandage them.” As she spoke, Celeste rolled to the edge of the bed and Boogie, instinctively, held the trash can as a flood of black sticky bile poured from her; her body shaking violently as it rushed past her lips. All Eli could do was to hold her hair as she wretched.

  After her second use of the can, Eli suggested that they just toss the whole thing. He kissed Celeste’s sweat soaked forehead, and cradled her. He didn’t even mind when she threw up all over him and the bed. Instead, he ran a warm bath, filling it with the sweet smelling bath bubbles Grace kept for guests. He lifted her gently and took her into the other room. He sat on the edge of the tub, Celeste cradled against him like a child.