I struggled for a breath, any breath as the light sucked me back into reality. Beau gripped my arm and squeezed my hand tightly, staring at me patiently.
I couldn’t contain my quaking being. It’s all true. “I – I always thought…” I stuttered. “I always thought that my mom was in the wrong place at the wrong time but no.” I looked to Beau, shaking my head. Tears welled in my eyes, drowning my vision. “She was meant to be there, wasn’t she?”
Beau pressed his lips together and clenched his jaw, nodding his head. “I’m sorry, Maya.”
My chin quivered as reality finally sunk in, a reality so far and distant that I didn’t know existed… until now. The incomprehensible weighed down on my chest like boulders. I couldn’t hold my tears, burying my face in my hands. I sunk to the ground in dismay and felt Beau’s soothing warmth cradle my body.
My mother was a sacrifice, so that I could save the afterlife. Me, a nineteen year old girl from a small town in the middle of nowhere. Me, a normal girl, who in a month from now would have been attending MU, getting ready to start her adult life. Her normal life. It’s… It’s all gone.
Beau held the back of my neck and turned my face up to his. “Do you want to be alone? I can’t even imagine what you’re –”
“No.” The words slipped my mouth. “I need you.”
As ridiculous as it sounded, with everything that’d happened since I met Beau Gabriel, needing him was the one thing that finally made sense.
I sunk back into the safety of his arms and wiped my cheeks, laying on his chest. His chin rested on the top of my head perfectly, as if it were meant to be there.
“I’m here Maya,” he whispered. “Always.”
Chapter 26
Heaven
The clear white clouds shimmered with a crystal hue, floating in serenity. A choir of soft, faint voices came and went with the winds. Gabriel found Raphael and Michael in the golden armoury, devising a plan to attack the fallen.
“What are the numbers?” Raphael asked Michael.
Michael was dressed in all white armour with a silver plate covering his chest and arms. His ash blonde hair cascaded down to his shoulders, and his grey eyes beamed with ferocity.
“The mortals love making bad decisions.” Michael began, reaching for his helmet. “They’re all choosing Lucifer, every single one. Only a fraction of mankind see the golden gate after death; we’re losing, brother.”
Raphael and Michael heard Gabriel approaching behind the grandeur diamond door.
“Gabriel!” Raphael clapped in joy. “What news do you bring?”
Michael scoffed. “Hopefully something good.”
Gabriel flashed a weak smile. He’d just watched Beau tell Maya of her position as the divine mortal, and he was glad, though something was coming and Gabriel knew that… Something much darker. “Beau has made it known to the Puritas.”
Raphael and Michael rejoiced in unison.
“Wonderful!” Raphael said.
“Just in time.” Michael responded. “Maybe now our numbers will increase.” He walked over to Gabriel and placed a stiff hand on his shoulder. “It’s getting bad out there, Gabe.”
Gabriel didn’t speak.
Raphael scrunched his eyebrows warily, pushing back the crimped locks from his face. “Gabriel, what troubles you?”
Gabriel swallowed hard, glancing at his brothers twice over. “Beau is running out of time. He…” Gabriel paused. “He is one sin away from turning into one of them… to the dark.”
“Mortal or venial?” Raphael questioned.
“Does it matter?” Michael snapped. “I knew that Beau was not suitable for Earth.”
An angel never fell to Earth for God’s bidding; Beau was the first ever Nuntius. God put his trust in the archangels to select one they found worthy, and to Gabriel, that was Beau. There is something special about Beau, Gabriel thought. He was one of the most beautiful angels in all of Heaven, despite his absence of title. When God created Beau, he melded sacred fire and water, a powerful magnitude of opposing elements. Gabriel taught Beau as he aged, educating him on humans and their souls. And within Beau’s spirit, Gabriel saw resilience, resolution… hope.
“Send him home and bring forth another angel. Perhaps one with more devotion and less… humanity.” Michael commanded.
Gabriel was silent.
Raphael stirred, placing a calm hand on Michael. “Now, now, brother. We mustn’t get ahead of ourselves. Gabriel,” he turned to face him. “What of the Puritas? Does she believe?”
Gabriel nodded. “Slowly. We must be patient.”
Michael ripped away from Raphael’s grasp and marched towards the golden chest in the middle of the armoury. The chest was glowing and ardent, brimming with grace. It was divinely sealed by the four healing crystals: clear quartz, rose quartz, jasper and obsidian.
When God bestowed the title of the warrior to Michael, a band of heavenly thrones forged a sword so powerful that only the purest of souls could wield: the Flaming Sword. The celestial weapon lay resting in the golden chest that only the diamond key could unlock. Michael wore it around his neck every passing moment, and ensured that the healing crystals remained intact. Without the crystals, the grace fuelling the Flaming Sword would diminish, weakening its ability to fight against the fallen. Though the crystals remained unbroken and untouched since the beginning of time; the absence of the stones was not a concern.
He placed the diamond key in the chest and unlocked it, pulling out the Flaming Sword. The silver blade glistened against the ivory skies, its power fueled by a thousand thrones and incandescent holy fire.
Michael shoved past Gabriel and Raphael, extending his snow white wings for flight. He turned to look at his brothers one last time, before returning to the battlefield of mist and thorns.
“Patience is our demise.”
Whoosh.
Chapter 27
Kleaton’s Gate, Present Night
Ky hadn’t left his room in weeks. Clothes scattered the floor, covering his carpet in a heaping mess. He told Tommy and his family that he would be taking an early trip up to his college campus, to learn the ropes and familiarize himself. But in reality, Ky just wanted to be as far away from Kleaton’s Gate as possible. He never planned on coming back, not after what happened with Braum.
Ky had spent the past three days writing out anonymous statements to the KG police, explaining everything he had seen. He knew that it was a long shot, but he couldn’t harbour his torment any longer. Mike’s decrepit body was hanging from the ceiling, covered in blood. The image plagued Ky’s thoughts with feral fear; he didn’t want to believe Braum could commit such a heinous crime. But Ky didn’t know what to think anymore, so he gave up.
Ky didn’t give a second thought as to what he was packing in his luggage. He frantically threw clean and dirty clothes in a sack and shoved it in his carry-on. Amidst the clutter, he found a picture of Tommy, him and Braum at the beach two years prior. They wore big smiles and cheered beers. They looked happy.
Tears blurred Ky’s eyes as he gently rubbed the photo with his thumb. What I would do to go back in time…
“It’s a shame.” A woman’s voice startled him.
Ky jumped and dropped the picture, jolting his body around. Marina sat in the corner chair with her legs overlapping one another. The moonlight twinkled against her red lipstick and pale skin, highlighting her sharp features.
“M… Marina?” Ky stuttered. “Help! Mom!” Ky yelled, bolting for the door.
Within seconds, Marina stood in front of him, guarding the exit with crossed arms. She placed her hand flat on the lock as a red hue radiated from her palm, sizzling.
“Wha – what…” Ky muttered.
Ineffable fear drowned his being. He stumbled back to the wall, shaking incessantly. His eyes darted around the room, trying to find a logical explanation to how Marina got inside without him noticing, but the window was closed and the door was locked. How… How is she… Help!
<
br /> Ky screamed at the top of his lungs. “Help! Please, mom! Dad!”
His hand found the nearest object to his left – an empty peanut tin. He held it out in front of him, trembling, hoping and praying that this was all a dream and she would disappear. But it wasn’t a dream, and Marina still remained, smiling before him.
Marina slowly approached, swatting away the tin with force. His room was dimly lit, but the red in her eyes penetrated through the darkness.
“They can’t hear you, cretin.” With weighted pressure, she pinned Ky against the wall and held him by the neck, curling her fingers around his throat. “Your screams stay in this room.”
Ky’s legs dangled as she lifted him higher and higher. He gasped for air, digging his nails into Marina’s forearm. Trickles of blood dripped from her skin, flowing down her arm. She chuckled, using her other hand to collect a small drop of blood and licked her finger.
“Wh – why… are you doing – this…” Ky let out, losing consciousness.
Marina grimaced as she twisted harder, choking the remaining life out of Ky.
His legs grew numb, weak and frail. The kicking was the first to stop, then his body cooled, and the struggle eased away slowly. His fingers faltered, no longer gripping Marina’s arm. The pain became bearable, natural almost. Nothing hurt anymore. A fading light shone in the distance as death slowly forced his eyes closed.
She wanted to be the last thing Ky saw before he took his last breath.
“Because I can.” Marina smiled, releasing the corpse of Ky Gerber.
Chapter 28
Hell
It had been over a month since Siles and Marina had that fight in the garden, since Siles had last seen her. He thought that he’d taken a substantial amount of space from her, enough to reconcile their differences and come back stronger.
Marina wrapped her legs around Siles and bit down hard on his lip. She kissed him passionately, pushing him up against the cave wall.
“I have missed you, Marina…” Siles moaned against her mouth.
Marina chuckled slyly. “I have something to tell you.”
Siles continued to kiss her, trailing down her neck then to her collarbone. He pulled her hair and nibbled her ear, gazing at her with contentment.
“Oh… Can’t it wait?” he asked, drawing her closer.
She beamed with wide eyes. “I killed Ky Gerber, a friend of Braum’s.”
The smile Siles wore slowly twisted into a visage of betrayal and disgust. “You what?” he yanked away from Marina aggressively.
“Oh you should have seen it, Siles! I held him by the throat and watched the life –”
“Marina,” Siles snapped. “Why did you kill him? Did I not express my feelings clearly enough in the garden?”
Marina fixed her tousled hair irately. “Are you… mad at me?”
A labyrinth of sentiments strangled his senses. Siles didn’t know how to feel anymore. He’d been fighting with his mind for weeks, struggling to decipher where his true nature aligned. Marina meant a lot to him, but ever since Lucifer tasked them to Earth, he felt her slipping, and he didn’t know if he could pull her back up.
Siles stepped back. “Why did you kill him, Marina?” he asked, sternly.
Marina fixed her blouse and huffed with aggravation. “Because I wanted to. And what of it?”
“The task was to eradicate Maya. Not kill everyone in sight,” Siles Spat. “Where is he? Is he in hell, Marina?”
Blood rose to her cheeks. She leaned back on her heels and crossed her arms. “I didn’t see him.”
Blood rushed to his face. “Another innocent life.” Siles buttoned up his shirt and fixed his hair, making his way to the cell exit.
“Where are you going?” Marina demanded.
Siles took a deep breath in, longing for the air on Earth. He wanted to go to Mags. He didn’t have a clue why, but the tenderness he’d shared with her was unmistakeable. He had slowly begun to take pity on her. It was never supposed to end like this, in the bloodshed of innocent mortals.
When Siles was tasked to Earth, he had no expectations of this version of humankind. All he could remember was the violence, the destruction of war… His cowardice.
He wanted to prove to Lucifer, his commanding officer, Hanz, Karl… that he was not a coward. He could fulfill any mission, and he would get it done right this time around. He’d been training for over a century, and Lucifer selected him to do this – to eradicate Maya. She was a threat to hell, his home. But day by day, Siles began to question where exactly home truly was.
In the beginning, Mags was just an object of strategy, to get closer to Maya. If he were to do this mission, he wanted to know everything. Befriend the enemy, study… analyze… strike. But in turn, a part of him grew fond of Mags. He had kissed her the first night, so no matter what Siles did, Mags would have drifted under his control regardless. Though the more time he spent with her, the less he wanted to use her.
Marina on the other hand, sought out to inflict pain on just about anyone – the taste for blood darkened her heart.
But Siles never relished in these primal acts. In turn, he took interest in observing this obscure version of humankind. Whatever misery Braum had put Mags through in the past, Mags had forgotten in the cellar. Siles remarked the pain in Mags’ eyes, the confusion, the fear. Braum was a familiar being to her; they shared history. Whether good or bad, there had been love there, forgiveness and what looked to be… a second chance. In hell, second chances were unheard of – only a burning mortuary of persecuted souls.
But Ky was not among them. His soul most likely found peace in Heaven, or a sentence in purgatory. He was young, he had a life to live… A life no longer. Whoever Ky Gerber was, Mags knew him. And because of Marina, Mags could never see him again.
Siles craned his neck to the side, eyeing Marina in his peripheral vision before exiting the cell. Through gritted teeth, he clenched his fist and seethed, “You can’t play God Marina, not even Lucifer can.”
Chapter 29
Kleaton’s Gate, Present Night
Mags had just finished a bath when the doorbell rang. Her parents were vacationing at the cottage so she was home alone. Thank God, my family is so annoying.
Mags skipped down the stairs and unlocked the door to Siles, his blonde hair sopping wet from the rain.
“Baby!” Mags jumped up and brushed his lips before yanking him inside.
Siles returned the kiss hesitantly, grabbing her hand and leading her to the living room couch.
“Oh, okay. I guess we can do it here.” Mags got on top of him, wrapping her legs around his middle.
But Siles pulled her to his side and faced her, taking her hand gently. “Mags, I’m going to do something. But you can’t freak out.”
Mags laughed and fluffed her hair. “Anything you do is fine by me.”
Siles closed his eyes and squeezed her fingers, pressing his lips together before mouthing a foreign word. “Exsolvo…”
An acute pain formed in her temples, batting against her skull. “What…” she muttered, wincing. “What are you doing?”
All the light dimmed around Mags, blinking sporadically. She watched the furniture in her living room morph into distorted shapes and colours. A piercing white noise rang through her ears as she fell in and out of consciousness. She peered down to her glowing hands; misty white bubbles drifted away from her skin, weightless and airy. The sharp pain slowly dissipated and the world around her levelled out.
Opening and closing her eyes repeatedly, she looked to the man sitting in front of her, the man from the casino… the man who locked her up in the cellar.
Mags fell down a rabbit hole of terrifying memories as she stared into the emerald eyes of Siles Killian. Braum… his battered body in bloody clothes. Marina… She was kissing Siles in front of her, attempting to provoke something in Mags she didn’t know existed. Their… their eyes. Their red eyes sliced into hers, black veins snaking out from underneath their flesh.
“Are you there, Mags?” Siles asked, watching her carefully.
Who… Who are you… What are you…
Mags swallowed hard and fought with her brain, trying to remain calm through her crazed fear. Her thoughts spun out of control trying to decipher the most plausible means for escape. She knew if she ran, Siles would instantly grab her. If she reacted, he’d kill her. I need to live. I have to live. He can’t keep me in a cellar, he can’t kill me!
Mags loved to act in plays. She always got cast as the lead, ever since middle school. She knew that her best bet was to fake an illness, to get him to comfort her, and then when he was out of sight, she’d bolt. What other choice do I have?
She placed her hand over her head and coughed with intent. “Ugh, what is happening…” She twitched her jaw. “Siles, can you – can you get me a glass of water. My head hurts.”
He nodded with concern and released her hand, making his way for the kitchen.
I need to move. Now! Mags spotted her car keys on the coffee table near the door. The air was still and the tension, immeasurable. Her heart thumped rapidly in her chest, about to explode. As soon as she heard the fridge open, she leapt off the couch and snagged the keys, sprinting out the front door as fast as she could. She heard glass shatter, followed by heavy footsteps trailing shortly behind her.
The rain dribbled down her face, pouring heavily from the sky. She jumped into her car and locked the doors immediately, just as Siles ran out of her house. Mags turned on the ignition and sped out of the driveway before he could catch her. I need to see Maya. Faster, damnit! She pushed down hard on the pedal.
Looking back, she saw Siles in the middle of the road, his silhouette drowning in the storm. He collapsed to his knees before the hazy grey atmosphere enclosed, turning him into nothing but a shadow.
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