Eli- Warriors for the Light

by Karen Michelle Nutt

  “Enough!” Chaz’s voice thundered and his eyes threatened a lightning strike if Eli didn’t hold his tongue.

  Eli remained silent, but the elder wasn’t finished with his tongue-lashing.

  “You think you know God’s plan better than all who stand in this court? You speak of our fathers being irresponsible, but what of you, Eli? We have rules for that very reason. It is forbidden to share our powers. It is forbidden to take a human for a mate. The child born from that union will have no soul and will suffer as we do. Two simple rules you seem to have forgotten. You can’t pick and chose what rules you’ll obey. That’s not how it works.”

  Elder Lailah, who had remained silent, spoke up now. “Eli speaks of love, a true love, not just the taking of a mate as our forefathers did with the humans,” Her hair was the color of honey and her eyes were gold and warm as she looked upon Eli. “He speaks of love, dear husband, or have you forgotten what that’s like?” Her lips twitched when she met his gaze. Chaz and Lailah were both half-angels who were born when Enoch roamed the earth. They had an arranged marriage, but love and respect sprang from the union and they had remained mated, which was a rarity among their kind.

  Chaz harrumphed and threw up his hands. “What would you have me do? He’s disobeyed the rules.”

  “He must give up the female or die,” someone cried from the pews on the right.

  Eli already knew who it was before Lucca pushed his way through the crowd, determined to be heard. Eli cursed under his breath. The sod would probably love to be the one who held the sword that ended his life.

  “It is the Watchers’ rules.” Lucca faced the crowd as if he were on stage performing one of Shakespeare’s plays he so loved. For someone who despised humans, he kept a large collection of books, all human authors, playwrights like Shakespeare and Christopher Marlowe, but he also had modern authors, too like James Patterson, Dean Koontz and Tim Powers. He looked toward the elders then. “Elder Chaziekal, you said it yourself. He can’t pick and choose which rules he’ll obey. Have we not learned from our fathers’ mistakes? Do we wish to have God’s wrath upon us for disobeying him?”

  The guy really needed to come up with a new song and dance. Eli met Lucca’s cold stare. The blond, blue-eyed Watcher held a special hatred toward him. The feeling was mutual as far as he was concerned. Lucca couldn’t understand the compassion he had toward the humans. Lucca seemed to forget that half his existence was forged with human blood, too.

  Eli’s gaze shifted, wondering where Lucca’s lapdog had gone. Gideon seemed to think Lucca knew all and practically worshiped him. Gideon wasn’t the only one either. He noticed a few people in the crowd who sided with Lucca’s beliefs. Lucca tended to draw a crowd and they listened to his cockamamie garbage he spewed.

  Eli turned back to face the elders. “If one of the brethren finds their true soul mate, they’ll not suffer damnation, but shall find eternal happiness. We all know the legend and I believe it’s true. I won’t give her up.”

  “No?” Chaz turned on him. “You say no. You have no choice. You stay away from the human or we will strike her down, then we’ll deal with you.”

  “There can be another way,” Elder Lailah said, using her power to calm the room. Warmth bathed Eli and his limbs relaxed. Even Chaz seemed calm as he looked at her and she continued. “On Ol’ Hallow’s Eve, the veil between worlds is thin and all beings may walk the same path, be them preternatural or human. Ol’ Hallow’s Eve is today. Eli has broken no rules this day.”

  “You twist the rules to save him, dear wife, but what of tomorrow? What of next week?” Chaz lifted his hands. “What say you to that?”

  Elder Lailah’s lips curved. Obviously, she had an answer. “He says the female loves him. Perhaps glamour did not play a part in the affair and the human was drawn to Eli’s arresting dark looks and his engaging wit. Let’s see if what he says holds true. Bind his glamour and send him back with only his human attributes at work. Send him to a time before she knew who he was.” She lifted her slim shoulders in a shrug and sat back in her seat, meeting Eli’s gaze. “See if she falls in love with him without the magic of his gift. If her soul recognizes him, then his life with her was never a lie.”

  Bind his glamour? That meant they would bind his wings. Eli’s mouth felt suddenly dry. He’d be defenseless as a human, too, but if he could be with her it would be worth the sacrifice. He straightened his back with resolve. “I’ll do it.”

  Chaz paced as he thought over what Lailah suggested. The elder never made rash judgments and wouldn’t be rushed now. The crowd surprisingly remained quiet. It was as if all held their breath for the final say of his fate.

  Chaz finally stood still, his gaze pinning Eli down with a fierce look. He had the feeling the elder would much rather kill him than deal with what he felt would be a farce. Chaz glanced at his wife, his features softening for a moment. His eyelids closed, the thick lashes were surprisingly dark against his skin when the hair on his head was a light shade of bronzed gold. When he opened his eyes again, the decision was made. His gaze narrowed in on Eli once more. “So be it.” With a wave of his hand, magic poured from his fingertips and landed on him, bathing him with warmth. The binds around his wrists vanished. Bones knitted together, bruises faded, making him whole.

  Eli stood and spread his dove colored wings wide, testing them. He looked at the elder with a raised brow, confused to why the elder healed him.

  “That is all the favor you shall receive,” Chaz told him. “From now on there will be no healing yourself in an instant from major injuries. You will have no powers.”

  “I thought you were going to take my wings.” He probably shouldn’t have pointed out that fact, but his tongue obviously didn’t know when to keep quiet.

  Chaz’s lips curved, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Oh but I am. Remove your shirt so I may see your wings where they’re attached to your flesh. There can be no human concealments for the binding ritual.”

  Eli swallowed the lump in the back of his throat and did as he was told. He dropped his T-shirt at his feet and stood straight, his gaze focused in front of him. Chaz circled around him, his fingers caressing his newly healed wings. “Are you sure?” He stood close and his words only reached his ears, giving him one last chance to change his mind.

  He found happiness in Ryden’s arms and he knew he gave her joy, too. For him there was no choice but to accept the challenge the elders put before him. He nodded. “Yes, I am sure.”

  Chaz sighed and shook his head. “So be it then.” He stepped behind him and the ancient words left his lips to the rhythm of a Gregorian Chant.

  Blinding pain exploded from Eli’s shoulder blades, sweeping down to his lower back and nausea rose in his throat, threatening to choke him. Staggering, he went down, falling to his knees with his hands on the floor bracing him. Oh God, he was going to die. His wings were melting into his skin and the burning flesh hit his nostrils with the sickening scent. He lifted his head to the heavens and let out a deep guttural cry for mercy.

  Chapter Two

  Quite a few of the Watchers stayed behind after the disgraced Eli was sent from their presence and the elders left the hall to attend to other duties.

  Zaiden stayed, too, leaning against a pillar and listening to what was being said.

  “They should have killed him.” Lucca paced with annoyance. He was a tall, warrior-built half-angel with thick hair that was streaked with gold and wheat colored strands. He wore it unbound and long to his shoulder blades.

  Zaiden preferred the style of this century and kept his dark strands trimmed above his ears.

  Gideon, who always had Lucca’s back, stood beside him as he continued to rant. He was one of the younger half-angels in their ranks with only a century under his belt.

  Lucca’s gaze landed on Zaiden, but he soon glanced away to continue his speech. “Unlike our preternatural unions, taking a human mate means there will be offspring. We are living proof that the angel�
��s biology is compatible with a human’s.” Lucca held his arms out wide, slowly eyeing each person in the room. “We are already condemned. Why bring more soulless creatures into our ranks?” He preached with a theatrical panache of a true performer and he loved every moment of it. One of his powers was to manipulate the air around him and his emotions played a major role. Warmth surrounded them like a caress.

  Lucca spoke of children being born to them. The Watchers were an old race, the youngest being about a century old. There had been no children since then.

  They tried to blend into the human society like ghosts, nonexistent beings that the humans would never remember if called upon to do so. It wasn’t like they didn’t have relationships, but they were with other preternatural beings, not with humans. Preternatural beings were more in-tune with their bodies and knew when they were fertile. Children were rarely born, if at all, from these unions and considered acceptable within the brethren.

  There hadn’t been a joining with a pure human female or male since they were forbidden and the laws were given to them to follow. They had long ago accepted they were condemned. They all knew the story.

  Their fathers, the angels, were sent to earth and became enamored with the humans and wished to live like them, but they failed to understand what taking a mate would require. Being soulless creatures, they didn’t understand true love. The unions were not blessed and the children born of the unions were considered soulless, too. They all became the Fallen.

  What Eli had done was open a rift, making the Watchers question their very existence. Could they truly fall in love? Could they find a soul mate among the human race? If it were so, they would no longer live in limbo. They could live life instead of observing it, but it seemed some of the brethren feared the possibility.

  Lucca still held the floor, dominating the conversation. “If Eli is permitted to play out this farce, others will question the rules, too. Our foundation will crumble.”

  Zaiden found it interesting. For one so strong, Lucca feared change, always had. He always took the longest to adjust to the new decade with hairstyles, language, and clothing. If it were up to Lucca, they’d all be wearing doublets and breeches as Shakespeare once wore. For some reason, Lucca latched onto that era with the earnest, intent of keeping it alive. In the human world, he went by the last name of Marlowe in honor of Christopher Marlowe who was Shakespeare’s rival for the written word and the dark and dangerous mirror image of the well-loved playwright.

  Zaiden’s gaze traveled over the group assembled and didn’t like what he saw. Unrest among the Grigori wouldn’t bode well. It would weaken them and leave them vulnerable to their enemies. The Hashasheen demons, a hateful clan, would be first in line to strike. They resented that they kept order and wouldn’t let them overstep their bounds.

  Lucca worried that Eli’s actions would destroy them, but Zaiden had a hunch Lucca’s words were more damaging to the structure. They would become divided. As one of the Guards of Judgment, it was his duty to keep the peace. “It is not up to you to decide, Lucca,” Zaiden spoke over the crowd’s murmurings. “Or have you been secretly elevated to elder?”

  A few chuckled behind their fists, but others whispered annoyance for his interruption.

  Zaiden’s lips twitched in amusement when Lucca’s gaze riveted to him, in a blaze of icy fury. He bared his fangs in a hiss, but Zaiden held his ground. With Lucca’s fangs visible, lengthening in anger, it was understandable how the Fallens’ children were perceived in the Book of Enoch as vampires.

  He and Lucca were of the same age, but were never close. Lucca was a hot-head, stubborn and believed his opinions should be everyone else’s, too. A bad combination if not kept on a short leash.

  Zaiden looked at his nails feigning boredom. “Do you really wish to engage me in a fight?” He met Lucca’s gaze in a challenge. They fought many times, both in practice and in disagreement. Lucca was a fierce warrior and a worthy opponent, but his temper usually caused him to lose. He could be easily goaded.

  Lucca appeared to be considering a fight. His hands balled into a fist, his dark wings snapping open as if he thought to take flight. He hoped Lucca would say yes. It would stop the male’s tongue from wagging and he might knock some sense into him.

  Zaiden pushed away from the pillar, standing to his full height, his wings spreading wide, but at the last second Lucca growled, bringing his wings back against his body. “Wise move, Lucca,” he congratulated him on his choice to rein in his temper.

  He harrumphed in a snarl of curses.

  “The elders were put in place to rule and we must abide by their judgment,” Zaiden spoke to all in the room. “They are curious, as we all should be, to see if what Eli claims is true.”

  “Of course you would agree,” Gideon spoke up. His reddish hair looked almost brown with the goop he used to spike it. His right earlobe sported an earring and he was dressed in a leather jacket and jeans. “You’re friends with Eli, are you not?” Gideon’s wings lay flat against his body, a nonthreatening stance, but it was obvious he had a point to make.

  Zaiden found Eli refreshing with his beliefs of happiness for their race and secretly hoped he did find his soul mate. “It doesn’t matter either way, but yes, I call him friend.”

  “And if the elders put out the order to have him eliminated, what then?” Gideon asked.

  “Hmm, yes what then?” Lucca’s lips curved into a nasty snarl. “Please enlighten us.”

  “I shall do what is expected of me,” Zaiden replied. It didn’t mean he would like it. “Did you expect anything less?”

  Lucca turned away, folding his arms against his chest. He really did have pouting down to an art.

  “I don’t understand why the elders put up with Eli.” Gideon’s brows furrowed. “I mean, soul mates for the Fallen, for half-angels. If he’s right this would change everything for the Watchers, wouldn’t it?”

  Zaiden inhaled deeply. “Of course it would change everything. It would give us all a chance to redeem ourselves. If we possess a soul, we can also know the joys of heaven when we die.” No one knew where the Fallen went after death, but some feared they just ceased to exist.

  “Even for you, executioner?” Lucca sneered. “What human will fall for a being that kills for a living? Face it, you’re not exactly mate material.”

  Zaiden inwardly flinched, his stomach knotting into a ball. He wasn’t proud of what he did for a living, but it was his sworn duty and he did take pride in that. Someone had to take out the undesirables. They couldn’t be left to do as they pleased, causing havoc, and hurting innocent bystanders in their wake. “I have no wish for a mate, but I would like to hope for the possibility for others to find happiness in the arms of a—”

  “Human,” Lucca spat.

  “I was going to say soul mate.”

  “If Eli succeeds, it will be chaos in the ranks of the Watchers. Who will continue to record history in the tomes?” Lucca voiced.

  “Recording the history is a job that needs to be done, but it doesn’t have to be all we do. Our legacy wouldn’t have to end.”

  “No, Zaiden. You think not?” Lucca laughed. “You don’t think fools running around in search of the fabled soul mate, will cause chaos? They would forget themselves and impregnate the humans without a thought. Maybe we’ll try out a few, give them a test run. It would be like it was with our fathers. Have you forgotten what they did?”

  “No.” He shook his head. “But I had always believed we shouldn’t be held accountable for the sins of our fathers. There are always choices. We have free will and Eli reminded us of that.”

  “Free will?” Lucca waved his hand in disgust. “Free will is an excuse to do whatever we want and say it was a choice.” His smile held a hint of smugness as if he felt he had the upper hand.

  Zaiden proved him wrong. “Tell me, what do you fear more, Lucca? Is it the idea there’s a soul mate out there for you, or that there isn’t one?”

  The crowd chuckled.
Even Gideon’s mouth twitched.

  Lucca looked around him and knew he had lost the crowd. His eyes blazed, the blue of his eyes turning to a smoldering gray. His response was to spread his wings. In a whirl, he unleashed his glamour, his anger clogging the room, stifling it in a cloud of smoke. Then he was gone.

  Zaiden feared it wasn’t the end of the debate. Lucca wouldn’t let this go. He would come back with reinforcements the next time around.

  Chapter Three

  Cast from the otherworld like a piece of trash, Eli landed hard in the human plane of existence, the impact knocking the wind out of him. He took a deep breath, drawing air into his lungs and letting it out again in a rush. He crawled to his knees, wondering where Chaz had tossed him in the timeline of his life.

  Upon opening his eyes, asphalt came into view. His hands and knees were securely anchored to it, like a godsend to steady his world. His limbs didn’t work yet, so he let his senses take over. He inhaled and the smell of roasting meat and fresh brewed coffee hit his nostrils. He heard Elvis Presley singing, You’re Nothing But a Hound Dog. His first thought was that Chaz had sent him back to the 1960s as a perverse joke. Ryden wouldn’t have been born yet.