Lucia gasped. “Maxi,” she screamed.
He winced tucking his helmet underneath his arms. “Please, refrain from referring to me by that name.” He took a lap around the room. “And I-I know we were once friends but I’m afraid I made a grave mistake w-when I gave you and your people Divinity Order weapons.”
“What are you getting at?” Lucia shouted.
“Our savior was enraged about what I did,” he laughed nervously with a snort. “And you know an angry god will only birth chaos across the land...” he paused, pondering his own words for a moment. “So as high priest of the Divinity Order, I must carry out the will of the gracious lord.”
His eyes fell upon Hayden and Kori, “you two must be the esteemed outsiders.” Christos alternated walking circles around the two. “The warden asked me to bring you and the Captain directly to him.”
“Good,” Kori said with a wet sniff and wiping away her tears. “I’m ready to go home.”
Lucia laughed hysterically. “Silly girl, the warden isn’t going to send you home.”
Hayden’s eyebrows arched, “what are you talking about?”
Christos gave Lucia a look indicating she needs to stop talking.
She ignored the warning.
“If you think I’m bad, wait till you meet the so-called god of purgatory,” Lucia continued.
Christos chuckled nervously. “I’m sorry, b-but Lucia doesn’t have a clue what she’s talking about.”
“The warden is a bad, bad dude,” Lucia continued to laugh screamingly. “And Christos is his little weasel.”
The priest’s face reddened. “Take them away.”
The two men went in to carry out their orders. But Hayden sprang into action. He summoned Delilah and quickly opened fire on the two henchmen. The first two rounds pierced through the center helmet of one soldier and another two landed squarely in the chest of the other. Orbs of light burst through both sentry’s chest plates, hovered for a few seconds then rocketed off. The now-empty armor collapsed.
Christos gasped with excitement, “oh that’s interesting.”
Hearing the priest’s voice, Hayden turned and fired two rounds at him. The mini missiles ripped through the air ready to deliver a fatal impact. Christos didn’t flinch and to Hayden’s surprise, the high priest tilted his head to the side dodging the first round and the second stopped inches away from his face.
Suspended in midair Christos walked circles around the projectile, “ah I see. Unlike our weapons, it’s not a bullet but enchanted energy capable of killing souls.”
He waved his hand and the projectile dispersed into a tiny mushroom cloud.
“Sorry kid but I won’t go down that easily. I am the High Priest of the Divinity Order anointed with the God of Purgatory.” He laughed nasally. “So, you should-”
He was suddenly swept from his feet by an unseen force. He fell face-first onto the floor and rebounded towards the ceiling then in an instant he was hitting the floor again. This phenomenon lasted several moments before Kori caught wind of Lucia waving her hands up and down as if she was bouncing an invisible ball.
Hayden grabbed Kori by the hand and dragged her out of the cabin. Behind them, they could hear Lucia screaming, “get back here!”
Outside, soldiers and the crewmembers of the Amethyst fought in bloody combat. And even though Lucia’s men were greatly out gunned they fought back bravely. Men from both sides shrieked in pain from mortal injuries.
The pungent scent of gunpowder swathed their nasals and Kori felt her sanity on the edge of extermination as her eyes took note of stray limbs and dead men, who were now no longer recognizable as human. However, as fortune would have it; due to the fighting, either sides paid little attention to the two escapees. Above them another massive airship hovered. Dangling from the sides were rope ladders with Divinity soldiers scaling down them and onto the Amethyst.
They came to a halt at one of the taffrails. Hayden hopped on top of the barrier. He held out a hand towards her.
“Please tell me you’re not planning to jump,” Kori shouted.
Hayden looked passed her and at a fast-approaching Lucia. A platoon of Divinity soldiers weren’t too far behind her.
“I know what I’m doing,” Hayden snapped.
Kori groaned, reached up and allowed him to scoop her into his arms.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, “okay I trust you.”
With that said, Hayden smirked at Lucia and fell backwards.
The captain came to a halt and peered over the railing. Below her she saw Kori clung tightly to Hayden as they fell twisting and twirling and then they disappeared into the sea of clouds.
SCREAMING, KORI CLUNG to Hayden for dear life. He however, closed his eyes, slowed his breathing and drowned out the ear-piercing screeches.
This is going to hurt.
But I don’t have a choice.
His body tensed and his face flushed.
Then screaming out in pain he opened his eyes as peppered angel wings exploded from his back ripping off his shirt in the process. He expanded his newly acquired ailerons to their full length and flapped them, blasting him and Kori upwards.
“You have wings?” Kori shouted. “You’re freaking flying!”
“IT’S OVER LUCIA,” CHRISTOS’S voice echoed behind her.
“We have your ship surrounded and anchored. Your men are all permanently dead... Vow your allegiance to Giovanni and all of your sins will be forgiven.”
With a huff, Lucia pushed herself away from the rail. She spun around eying the Divinity soldiers.
She opened her mouth to respond, but the soldiers in front of her began to gasp and point behind her. Looking over her shoulder she saw Hayden flapping his graceful wings and soaring high above the Amethyst. With Kori still in his arms, he twirled and then flipped his body into a nosedive.
Lucia fixed Christos with a sly smile. “I don’t vow my allegiance to anyone.”
Hayden zipped passed the ship with his wings expanded. Lucia turned and superman dived over the taffrail. She cut a front flip, landed onto Hayden’s back and wrapped her arms around his neck tightly. The sudden extra weight and impact caused Hayden to spin out of control.
“Get off me psycho!” he screamed as they spun and plummeted through the sea of clouds. Once below the billows, the world blurred and gyrated around them and they could see the vastly approaching terrain. Kori was screaming in his ears while holding tightly to his shoulders, and Lucia was blaring obscenities at him.
“Pull yourself together,” she shouted frantically.
Hayden grunted and banked right, coming out of his wild corkscrew decent. He leveled himself out and felt warm thermals pushing his wings gently upward in a seemingly never-ending spiral.
Kori eased her hold on Hayden. Though terrified, she loved seeing the view usually bequeathed only to birds.
They glided above cliffs, over a forest top and on towards farmlands losing altitude in the progress. As the wind tousled their hair and whipped it about their faces, Kori longed to expand her time, or find some way to savor the moment and memories of soaring through the heavens. Once he landed gracefully onto the ground, Hayden quickly shook himself free of Lucia. She fell onto her butt shouting, “ouch!”
Kori vaulted from Hayden’s arms. “OH wow that was so amazing!” she giggled excitedly.
Hayden smiled weakly and collapsed to his knees, “I’m glad you thought so.”
Kori stooped next to him, “are you ok?”
He nodded as his wings retracted into his back leaving no sign he ever had them. “Yeah, using my wings takes a lot out of me especially when I haven’t eaten all day.”
Kori looked up at the forest canopy, trying to wrap her mind around the fact that moments ago they were flying several miles high in the sky. Now they had landed on a forested highland overlooking pastures that overextended for miles.
“I saw farmhouses while we were in the sky,” Kori said. “Maybe we can find food the
re.”
The rural area lay weakly lit underneath the twin moon’s feeble rays, as they struggled to glimmer through the broken layer of clouds. A few hundred yards away were farmhouses and other dwellings enclosed in shadows.
Lucia got to her feet staring up at the sky, “I’ve lost everything.”
Kori glared at the woman ready to verbally attack her when she saw tears streaming from Lucia’s eyes.
“Now that you know you can’t go to the warden for help...I have a proposal for you two.” Lucia said blotting her eyes with the back of her hands.
Hayden and Kori eyed Lucia waiting for her to carry on.
“The warden isn’t the only person who can send you back to your world,” she said glancing from Hayden to Kori. “Her name is Tira and I can take you to her.”
Hayden grunted, “what’s the catch?”
Lucia smiled devilishly. “All I want in return...is your help in killing Christos.”
Chapter-Thirty-One
Though the sun had gone to rest, and any lingering signs of the day were obliterated by darkness, the stars and twin moons were nearly nonexistent. Puffs of gray clouds arose, separating them from Dominic’s view. But the lunar satellites fought to shine their light through the foggy and ominous atmosphere.
Stepping inside the cottage, he saw Brianna, Ethan and Atticus gathered around a square table. On its surface was an ebony soup kettle and wicker basket of bread.
“Are you sure we can trust this.” Ethan eyes shifting from the kettle to the basket. “
“Yeah, where did you get this food from?” Brianna added.
Atticus chuckled, “I went to visit Madam Gretel in another village not too far from here.”
There was a short moment of silence.
“It does smell delicious,” Brianna finally said. “I think I will have a bit of it.”
Ethan nodded, “I will too.”
The amazing aroma seeped into Dominic’s nose, and his stomach rumbled.
Several glowing crystal torches lined the inside walls of the cottage, fending off the darkness of the night. Sitting on the couch with a bowl, Brianna twirled her soup. In it, she made out spinach, broccoli, and diced tomatoes. The hue was tempered a bit thanks to the addition of cream cheese. She dunked a slice of bread into the creamy soup and took a bite. Her eyes widened, after several seconds of chewing, an explosion of flavors erupted in her mouth prompting a hum of satisfaction.
Ethan lifted his bowl to his lips taking a big gulp. Atticus sat uncomfortably close to Brianna, his face nearly pressed against the side of hers and smiling awkwardly.
“Is it good?” his nostrils grazed her cheek. “Please say it’s delicious, I wouldn’t know because all food tastes like sand to me.”
Brianna scooted away from him. “It’s amazing.”
Dominic’s stomach rumbled once more catching the attention of the others.
“Well hello there,” Atticus said teasingly. “You should grab yourself a bowl.” Atticus pointed at the black soup kettle.
Without saying a word Dominic scooped up a wooden bowl and ladled some of the creamy soup into the dish and then sat at the table. He grabbed a few slices of bread and began to eat.
The others watched in awkward silence awaiting his verdict.
He looked away from his dish. “Stop acting so weird,” he snapped with a mouthful.
His spectators traded glimpses before gushing into hilarity. Dominic slammed his now half-empty bowl of soup against the table. The breadbasket lifted several inches into the air and toppled over.
“We were only teasing,” Brianna said. When there was no response, Brianna hopped to her feet and walked the short distance placing her bowl onto the table. “Hey, I’m talking to you.”
“I heard you.”
Brianna looked at him sharply for a moment; then her eyes ventured to the laid-out bread across the table.
“Really Dominic when did you become such a dick. This pathetic attitude of yours doesn’t do either of us any good. I don’t know why you’re going around killing demons or suddenly on this quest for revenge, but I can’t sit idly by and watch you purposely put yourself in harm’s way.”
Dominic didn’t reply.
For a long moment they stared at the wooden table.
Finally, Dominic scoffed, “you being here is slowing me down.”
“Why exactly are you here?” Brianna’s eyes desperately searched his for an explanation. “Why did you kill those demons?”
Dominic looked down at the floor, suffering a moment of uncomfortable silence before he said, “I needed their souls to open up the gates to purgatory, because using my own would have left me really weak on arrival.”
He forced himself to look levelly into Brianna’s eyes. “Last year while snooping around Alexander’s study, I came across a journal detailing the whereabouts of this carcerem orbis. The journal said it was a spare key to purgatory and had information about a weapon called the Libitinari and where to find it in purgatory.”
Atticus leaned forward as his curiosity peaked by Dominic’s tale.
“It didn’t say what kind of weapon it was. But it did mention it could kill anything and level cities. The journal also said the weapon is hidden within the walls of a cathedral called St. Elisium. Luckily your father was on board with the idea of finding this weapon and loved my idea of me using it to kill Giovanni; he hates them as much as I do.”
Brianna was silent, her expression unreadable and her eyes regarded her brother. Dominic wasn’t sure whether she was shocked, confused, angry...or maybe all three. He wanted her to know how he felt, he had to get it out of him. In a confrontational tone, he continued.
“I was so excited to share the journal with you and Hayden. I figured this could have been our biggest adventure yet, but...but at that time you two decided that you wanted to live like mortals, and I accepted your decision. But Hayden, him giving up was like a big slap to the face, like he was trying to bury our past. I can’t do that. I will always remember...and I will not let my parent’s sacrifice be in vain.”
For a moment Brianna didn’t say anything...but then her small face split into a smile and her eyes filled with tears. She embraced her brother.
“I’m so sorry, Dominic. I didn’t know.”
At this point, Atticus’s face washed blank with confusion; like his brain cogs couldn’t turn fast enough, causing every muscle of his body to freeze. Then his mouth dropped in shock.
“It all makes sense now,” he shouted jumping to his feet. “You’re somehow connected to Raiziel aren’t you?” Atticus said clapping his hands excitedly.
Dominic pulled away from Brianna and glanced into Atticus direction, “what do you know about my dad?”
Atticus’s eyes broadened with delight. “Oh my! You guys are so interesting.” He glanced from Ethan to Brianna then back to Dominic. “But Raiziel used to be the Warden of Purgatory. Under his reign, this world had order and was prosperous. The people here loved and adored him, and then one day he vanished,” Atticus said placing his bowl onto the table. “A few days later a demon by the name of Cicero Giovanni arrived and with him came his five angels of death. They permanently killed any loyal followers of Raiziel and quickly proclaimed themselves as new ruler.”
Ethan shook his head, “Cicero Giovanni, as in my dad’s boss?” he glanced at Brianna who gave him a reassuring smile.
“I’m going to kill him, just like I did three of his so-called angels of death,” Dominic said with enough hate it stung the others.
Atticus snorted, “yeah sure you did.”
For a moment he stared into Dominic’s determined eyes.
“You’re not lying are you kid?” he said in bewilderment. “But Giovanni has a ruthless army called the Divinity Order and they have weapons that will permanently kill anyone who refuses to accept him as their god.”
“Why?” Ethan asked.
“Because when you worship a warden, the prayers give them a boost in power in add
ition to their already god-like status,” Brianna said knowledgeably. “The boost in power also carry over to the living world as well.”
“Correct, little witch,” Atticus said. “So, you either worship Giovanni or you die.”
The atmosphere felt heavy, ominous and almost hard to breathe. No one said a word or looked at each other.
“And the Libitinari, where exactly is it?” Dominic asked breaking the silence.
“The weapon is encased in a ball of energy and floats in the basement of the St. Elisium Cathedral,” Atticus said. “No one can touch it directly without being reduced to ashes.”
Now Brianna eyed Atticus. “How come you know so much about this?”
Atticus hesitated to answer, “b-because I was there when everything happened.”
Ethan looked down at his half-empty bowl of soup and felt his stomach churn. “Is Deus Imperium Industry a safe workplace for my dad,” he asked.
Brianna reassured him with a nod. “However, the humans don’t know they work alongside the supernatural.”
“And the ones who do find out about the monsters are enslaved and forced to work deep underneath the facility in secret labs,” Dominic teased.
Ethan shook off Dominic’s remark, “so, going to Giovanni for help is a bad idea.”
Atticus nodded. “He will bond your soul to purgatory.”
“If you knew this, then why you didn’t speak up when we first met?” Ethan shouted.
Atticus opened his mouth to defend himself when the walls shook around them. Floorboards bowed underneath their feet and clouds of sawdust erupted from the ceiling as it threatened to cave from above. Outside, the whistling sound of low flying objects zoomed by overhead. And was soon followed by the noise of them crashing into the far distance with enough force the cottage shook once more.
“What was that?” Ethan shouted wide eyed.
He and the others rushed to the outside and saw a great cloud of smoke billowing in the distance.
LAMENT OF PURGATORY (ASHWOOD CHRONICLES #1) Page 17