by John Corwin
"It isn't me you have to convince," Pross said. "The other two members of the Trivectus are both believers in this god." She loaded the word with contempt.
I crossed my arms. "In other words, they'll look at Nightliss as the enemy."
"I'm afraid it may be worse than that," Cephus said. "They will likely order her immediate execution as a sacrifice to the Primogenitor. They believe this is one way to heal the Schism."
"What other ways can they heal the Schism?" I asked.
The levitator shaft whooshed and two females dressed in tight, drab uniforms stepped into the room.
The rest of the Trivectus had arrived.
Chapter 7
"Chief Healer Pross, it is good to see you," said the first female, a sera of ebony skin and bright hazel eyes. Silky black hair hung loose around her shoulders.
Pross nodded. "A pleasure as always, Minister Thala." She repeated her nod to the other sera. "You as well, Minister Uoriss."
Uoriss stood as tall as Cephus. She wore her dark blond hair in a tight bun and gazed around the room with piercing gray-blue eyes. "What is the meaning of bringing these accused Brightlings to this chamber?"
"I have determined they are not Brightlings," Cephus said. "This is Justin Slade and his companion—"
"Tibbs," I said, thinking of the first name that came to mind. I'd met Nightliss while she was in the form of a cat. I'd named her Captain Tibbs until learning her real name from my felycan friend, Stacey.
Cephus raised an eyebrow, but didn't call me out.
Uoriss's lips peeled back. "What bizarre names."
I almost told them we were from Eden, but my unfamiliarity with their religion froze my tongue.
"I think they're wonderful names," Thala said with a broad smile. She turned to Cephus. "Please explain the nature of the false alert. I'm also curious why you brought our…guests here once you determined they were no threat."
He relayed the story, including how I'd defeated two squads of guards. The two seras looked me up and down. Thala seemed delighted and amazed while Uoriss clearly viewed me as a threat.
"I find this story hard to believe," Uoriss said. "Surely he had aid."
"I assure you he did not," Cephus said.
Uoriss narrowed her eyes and turned to me. "Where are you from, young seraph?"
I saw no point in disguising my true nature and lifted my chin. "I'm not a full seraph, Minister. I am from Eden."
Thala jumped back a step. "Eden? The Promised Land? Is this seraph troubled, Cephus?"
"He speaks the truth," Cephus said. "These two came through the arch on Malkiss Island."
"They came through a Sacred Arch?" Uoriss's gaze turned to steel. "This cannot be true."
"The Primogenitor disabled his gateways until we atone for the sins of the betrayers," Thala said, her friendly tone fading.
"How does one atone for the sins of the betrayers?" I asked.
Uoriss regarded me with a level stare. "Blood."
"The Brightlings betrayed the creator." Thala's smiled reappeared. "They must repent or die."
These people are crazy! "What if I told you there was another way to find penance?" I dug deep in my memory for the few times I'd gone to church with friends since my parents had never taken me.
"Who are you to know such things?" Uoriss said. "Do you claim to be a prophet?"
"No." The last thing I wanted was to be labeled a religious icon. These seras were nothing if not zealots, judging from my brief interactions with them. I had to keep this as cold and logical as possible while still coming across as non-threatening to their beliefs. "I'm simply a person who's interested in helping your people by ridding them of an ancient enemy."
Uoriss pursed her lips. "Explain."
I looked at Cephus for guidance in case I was about to enter dangerous waters.
He smiled and motioned toward the table. "Perhaps we should sit down."
"May I first have permission to send Tibbs and Pross to help my friend?" I asked.
Thala paused in the middle of sitting down. "You have friend who requires a healer?"
"Yes." I doubted going into detail was for the best, so I didn't elaborate.
"Pross already has the required information," Cephus said.
"I see no harm in the request," Thala said. "Proceed."
I gave Nightliss a meaningful look. "Please go with Pross. Return when you can."
Worry flashed across her face, but she nodded. "I will see you soon."
The pair stepped into the levitator. Nightliss's troubled face dropped from view.
"Now, back to your claims about other ways to atone for our sins," Uoriss said.
I felt like an English teacher who'd just been told to lead a math class. The only thing I had at my disposal was the truth. Judging from the reactions so far, these two seras didn't want to deal with the truth. I decided to stall for time, primarily to give Nightliss and Pross plenty of time to reach the skyway to the arch. That way if Uoriss and Thala decided I was a threat, they wouldn't have time to send soldiers after them.
"What do you know of Daelissa?" I asked.
Uoriss and Thala exchanged a look. "She misused the gift of the Primogenitor and traveled to Eden. Her sister, Nightliss, tried to seize control of the government. While some think she did so to free our people from Brightling rule, others believe she simply wished to rule in her sister's place."
I felt sick about the way history had been twisted here. "Is that what you two believe?"
Thala shrugged. "It is up for debate. The Atharis denomination believes Nightliss wished to do good, but gave up and betrayed the creator."
"This is where the Catharis disagree," Uoriss interjected. "We believe she was always in league with her sister."
"There are even sects which contend that Nightliss gave her life to kill her sister and ascended to be with the Primogenitor," Cephus said.
Uoriss scowled. "They are nothing but cults with dangerous beliefs."
I sensed an opportunity for further delay. Anytime I'd witnessed a religious argument at school, it had revolved around denominational quibbles. "Which denomination is the largest?"
"Immaterial," Uoriss said.
Thala spoke at almost the same time. "Atharis has slightly more members."
I scrambled for another question. "Do either of you think dancing is evil?"
Thala's forehead scrunched. "There is nothing forbidden about dancing."
"Only fools would ban such a thing," Uoriss added.
My hopes of driving a wedge between them fizzled as they turned scrutinizing gazes on me. "Interesting." I desperately tried to think of some other way to waste time.
"Are you truly so ignorant of this realm, or is this an act?" Thala asked. She turned to Cephus. "I'm hesitant to believe his claims about Eden. Either he is a liar, or he has discovered some devious way to activate a Sacred Arch."
"I wish to know how he defeated two contingents of guards," Uoriss said. "The more I hear his asinine questions, the more I doubt the truth." She directed her iron gaze on Cephus. "What is truly going on here?"
"Everything is precisely as I said." Cephus's face hardened. He turned to me. "Perhaps you should show them some proof. A display of your other half, perhaps."
I figured he had to be talking about my demon half. The only bad thing about spawning was it would ruin my clothes. Thankfully, the belt of Nightingale armor beneath my jeans would grow to fit my new form. "Give me a moment." I reached into my pants and touched the hem of the armor. Like paint poured over a canvas, it spread to cover my waist and legs.
"Are you touching yourself?" Uoriss said.
I felt my cheeks heating. "No. I'm adjusting something."
This only caused the seras to look even more disturbed. They gasped as I pulled off my jeans. I extended the armor over my torso and pulled off my shirt.
"Calm down." I held up my hands in a placating gesture. "I'm just switching into a new uniform."
Cephus seemed h
ighly amused as he sat back and watched my clumsy efforts to impress these religious zealots.
I stood back from the table, stretched my lips in what I hoped was a reassuring smile. "Now, don't freak out. I'm about to spawn into my demon form. I might look scary, but I won't hurt anyone."
Uoriss and Thala burst into laughter.
"He's delusional," Uoriss said. Her fingers brushed against a blue gem on the sleeve of her uniform. I didn't know if the gem on her sleeve functioned like the one on her collar, but it made me wonder if she'd just done something I wouldn't like. I noticed Thala had a green jewel on her sleeve while Cephus's was red.
Thala's laughter stopped abruptly. "While entertaining, this has been a colossal waste of time." She rose from her seat. "This seraph belongs in a mental institution, not in an audience chamber with the Trivectus."
I was really getting sick of their attitudes. I decided there was only one way to shut them up. Reaching inside me, I uncaged my inner demon. Muscles coiled around my body like snakes. My body swelled and gained height. My forehead grew heavier as large horns spiraled upward while my backside counterbalanced the new weight with a long tail. The armor stretched to accommodate everything.
Uoriss and Thala froze, astonishment plain on their faces. It quickly morphed to horror.
"He is truly a demon!" Thala shouted.
Uoriss channeled a sphere of Murk and flung it at me. "He is an evil one from the Nethers!"
The two seras ran in opposite directions, each trying to reach one of the six levitator shafts encircling the room. Before they'd gone far, every shaft was suddenly full of soldiers. The moment the soldiers stepped into the room, mist filled the entrances to the shafts and solidified, blocking them off.
"Kill him!" Uoriss shouted.
I didn't have time to think as nearly thirty soldiers charged my position. Some hurled orbs of Murk at me. My tail catapulted me to the side as survival instinct kicked in. The channeled energy splashed harmlessly against the windows. I shielded myself with Murk against the next onslaught. I saw Thala and Uoriss shouting at the soldiers, but there was too much noise in the room to make out what they were saying. Cephus, a horrified look on his face, waved his arms frantically.
Well, that escalated quickly.
"I'm not evil!" I shouted, my voice guttural.
The soldiers were too busy attacking me to care. Escape seemed my best option. I slung a volleyball-sized sphere of Murk against the closest window. It barely left a crack. It suddenly occurred to me that the purple hue of the buildings wasn't just a side effect of being constructed from Murk—these buildings were heavily shielded. While brute force might break them, Fjoeruss had shown me that there were more economical ways to deal with such things.
I dodged another flurry of magical attacks. Five soldiers closed in from all sides. I karate-chopped the arm of the closest one. His sword clattered on the floor. I caught an attack from the neighboring soldier on a horn. My tail lashed out and gripped the disarmed soldier. I flung him hard at the magic channelers.
Using my superior height, I planted a huge demon foot in the chest of one seraph and kicked him hard enough to send him slamming into the window. I jumped back as two swords clashed where I'd stood. I gripped the soldier's wrists. Squeezed hard. Bones cracked and the seraphs cried out in pain. With a flick of my wrists, I sent them tumbling backward.
The bulk of soldiers were still picking themselves up off the floor, or trying to flank me, so I spun to the window. Murk flowed through my veins. I drew upon Brilliance and sent it coursing into my hand. Like a dog sensing raw meat, my inner demon surged as I channeled destructive power.
Gritting my pointy teeth, I pushed back as my infernal side vied for control of my body. I'd learned before that channeling Brilliance while manifested in demon form was dangerous. Unfortunately, I couldn't spare the time to cage the demon. Plus, having the extra strength was absolutely necessary right now.
I wove Murk and Brilliance into a gray beam, which I shot against the glass. The material shimmered as it resisted. Cracks sprouted like weeds in the material. Everything had taken only seconds, but my senses told me my time had run out.
Using my tail, I catapulted myself to the side just as a wave of Murk swept my former position and shattered the window. Brilliance flooded into me. My right hand flew up of its own accord and swept a searing beam of destruction across the front line of soldiers. They screamed in agony as white-hot destruction carved their bodies into ash.
Kill them all!
I clenched my teeth and struggled to bring my arm back under control, but my inner demon fought back. The world seemed to recede as my consciousness was pushed toward the back of my mind. I watched in horror as my own hand mowed down more soldiers.
No, I can't let this happen!
With a burst of will, I shoved back hard against my demon side. For an instant, I held control over my body. It was all I needed. I cut myself off from Brilliance. The moment I did, my demon side lost its grip on my mind. I shoved it back into its cage and felt my body shrinking back to normal.
I threw up a shield of Murk to block further attacks, but as I looked around the room, I realized that wouldn't be necessary. Three lone soldiers remained. One screamed as he stared in horror at the charred remains of his arm. The other two huddled on the floor, eyes wide with terror.
"Oh my god." I released the shield and walked forward.
"Please, spare me!" one of the soldiers said in a trembling voice.
The other soldier held his hands up in surrender. "You are truly a god."
I was too preoccupied looking at the carnage to say anything else. Uoriss lay on her back in a pool of crimson. Thala lay next to her, a stream of her own blood mingling with Uoriss's. Terror filled her hazel eyes.
She hissed, struggling for breath. "Help…" She coughed blood.
I knelt next to her. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for this to happen." I looked at the soldiers. "Call a healer! Do it now!"
Thala gripped my hand. "Not you…" her voice trailed away, her eyes went dull and cold.
"T-they are all dead," said a familiar voice. Cephus rose from behind the conference table. He looked at me. "Was this your plan all along? Draw us all into this room and murder us?" He backed away, but with the levitator shafts sealed, there was nowhere to go.
I held out my hands, palms facing him. "I swear I didn't mean for any of this to happen. Why did they attack me?"
He looked at the remaining soldiers. "Who called you up here?"
"We received an emergency signal from Minister Uoriss," the soldier said.
The other soldier looked up. "My signal came from Minister Thala."
The third soldier with the burnt arm had thankfully passed out.
"You saw everything, did you not?" Cephus said to the soldiers. "He has killed the ministers. He is powerful beyond belief."
"He is the Destroyer as foretold in the prophecies," the first soldier said. "We have taken too long to atone."
"We are doomed," the other said in a quavering voice.
Cephus dropped to his knees and bowed deep before me. "Please forgive my doubts about the Primogenitor, almighty Destroyer. We will drive the Brightlings from our lands as the prophecy said we must do to atone."
Destroyer? What prophecy? "I'm not the Destroyer!" I backed away from the bowing seraph.
Cephus remained bowing. "Justin Slade, the Darkling nation is at your mercy."
Chapter 8
I hadn't come all this way to murder the Trivectus and take over the Darkling nation by force. I stared at the blood on my hands where Thala had touched me. I looked at the lake of blood on the floor and knew without a doubt a terrible monster lurked inside me.
What have I done?
I backed away from the others as my mind tried to comprehend this turn of events. Just then I remembered the injured seraph unconscious on the floor. "Can you unseal the levitator shafts?"
One of the soldiers stood and charged the gem o
n the wall. Nothing happened. He looked at me. "It requires a command override."
Cephus walked to a gem near him and touched the red jewel on his sleeve to it. The opaque barriers sealing the shafts turned to ultraviolet mist and vanished. "I have a healer on the way."
"How does this levitator work?" I asked him.
The minister gave me a confused look. "Why?"
"I need to get out of this room." I couldn't stand looking at the bodies one second longer. The smell of blood filled my nose. Nausea clotted my throat. "Get me out of here this instant."
"At once." He led me into the levitator and charged the gem with his finger. Within seconds, we were back on the ground floor. Cephus motioned with his hand. "We can step outside. Perhaps the fresh air will do you good."
I let him lead the way. As we stepped into the courtyard outside, I saw a seraph standing a few feet away. The gem on his collar was projecting something a few inches from his face. From this angle, it looked like a sliver of light. Curiosity piqued, I stepped behind him. The sliver resolved into a three-dimensional hologram. It only took me a second to realize I was the star of this particular film. I watched with horror as my demonic form burned my attackers to ash, but this time it was from the perspective of my victims. The gems everyone wore must record video, I realized.
"This is how the people are informed," Cephus said in a calm voice.
I looked at the courtyard. Ranks of soldiers stood in silent lines, each one watching the same scene from their gem. As I turned in a circle, I saw every eye glued to the video playing from their gem. I stepped closer to the first person I'd noticed and detected faint audio emanating from it. I watched the scene where I shrank back to normal size and knelt next to Thala. I heard Cephus surrender and bow to me. My image stood and looked at the blood on my hands just as the video flickered off.
The seraph turned to face me. His eyes widened with recognition.