The First Seal

by Jared Zakarian

  Then Waremasu turned to meet the demon foot soldiers rushing through the broken inner gate. He flashed away and dropped dozens of demons at a time as they surged forward.

  “Come.” Caedmon motioned for the others to follow. “We must go.”

  Ehreion grabbed Gavina from Ireli’s arms in order to ease her burden. Caedmon led the retreat as they sprinted toward the castle. They left the mysterious figure to battle the entire evil army alone.

  Waremasu flashed to the left, then to the right. He halted the demons’ assault and did not allow a single demon to pass through the inner gate. Waremasu left death in his wake. Roars and screams rose from the demon horde. Their rage at the angel’s presence refocused their minds. The demons cared no longer about Lesley and the mortals. Now they wished to tear the hidden angel apart and to steal his life.

  Waremasu stood alone as a gatekeeper and a wingless guardian angel, warding off evil and preventing the demons from crossing the threshold.

  The ground exploded farther out in front of the inner gate. Rocks flew in all directions, and a dark-cloaked figure hobbled up to surface level and leaned on his reliable staff as it bowed under his misleading weight. The old man’s face held an expression of annoyance.

  “Waremasu!” Zauvek shouted through the masses. “Must we be here? The city is already destroyed.”

  Waremasu continued to fell demons at breakneck speed and ignored his cranky companion.

  Zauvek threw his fist forward, and his spirit extended. His spirit attack bridged the distance without revealing itself to his opponent, and a force slammed into the chest of an approaching demon. He lifted his staff and swung it in the opposite direction. His spirit force crossed a distance and launched an entire row of demons into the air.

  “I am going to sit down,” Zauvek grumbled. “You can have your playtime if you wish.”

  Zauvek hobbled over to a nearby building and sat on its front steps. He leaned back against the front door and released a heavy sigh. He watched the flow of demons racing toward his ally.

  Waremasu sliced through their black flesh with ease. A welter of bodies accumulated around his feet. After a short time, he started looking around for Zauvek. He could not see the old man anywhere. He increased his defensive radius as he eyed his surroundings. He pushed the demons farther and farther back. A moment later, Waremasu spotted Zauvek sitting down on the stoop of a small building. He became frustrated when he saw Zauvek sitting there idle. His patience and tolerance met its end. The dark half of his soul overtook him.

  Waremasu flashed in front of Zauvek. He stared down at the old man lounging, angered by his black heart. He thrust his sword forward and pierced the wall right beside Zauvek’s ear. His eyes intensified as they gazed into Zauvek’s soul. His eyes burned bright with their color-changing irises through the veil of darkness covering his face.

  His seven voices echoed in fury. “If you do not fight beside me, then you fight against me!”

  Waremasu rotated his blade in the wall and thrust it out to the side. The katana horizontally split the wall, all the way to the building’s corner. Dust and dirt exploded out of the sudden fissure. He stepped back and pointed his katana at Zauvek’s face. The overwhelming hatred in Waremasu’s eyes was unnerving. His rage was palpable.

  “Wait!” Zauvek shouted. “Fine! I will fight.”

  “No!” Waremasu’s voices raged. “Decide forevermore! I will not tolerate another betrayal. Choose your destiny here! To who do you claim loyalty?”

  “The Divine One,” Zauvek said. “I am on the Divine One’s side!”

  Waremasu narrowed his eyes. “If you forget, you will not have time to remember.”

  “All right, I understand. Just point that somewhere else,” Zauvek said.

  Waremasu’s gaze was intense and his ultimatum absolute.

  He flashed away and continued his furious defense, still infuriated by Zauvek’s lackluster conviction.

  Zauvek stood up and brushed off his cloak. He reluctantly joined the battle, striking out at the demons with his spirit’s strength. He crushed and threw demons as he advanced.

  Chapter 22

  Confused Identity

  During others, his past personas will command control and blend or fragment his mind. A discord will take place, and the most determined will present themselves.

  The Ikalreev Prophecies 22:23–24

  Faolan and the others raced up the main road through the trade district, nearing the castle gate. Just a few more minutes and they would be there. They were thankful the stranger showed up when he did, striking down the gargantuan and removing the overpowering force. A high probability existed that at least one of them would have died back there if the stranger had not arrived. Faolan knew he was in the stranger’s debt.

  They came upon the crazy old man who was still sitting on his barrel. Faolan stopped running and thought for a moment. The others looked back and saw him standing before the old man. They turned around and neared Faolan as he stepped closer to the barrel.

  “Sir, it is dangerous here. You should come with us,” Faolan said.

  The old man rocked back and forth as he stared at him.

  “You will be hurt if you stay,” Faolan said.

  The crazy old man began to mutter something, but he could not finish the word. It was as if he was a broken record, repeating the same syllables.

  “De . . . D-De . . . Nai . . . D-Nai,” the old man mumbled.

  Caedmon caught sight of something and stepped forward. It was just underneath the man’s hair, on his forehead. The wolf guardian moved slowly so as not to scare the old man, brushing aside his hair. An insignia could be seen on the old man’s forehead.

  Caedmon’s eyes widened. “Master Deraj?”

  The crazy old man nodded as he continued to mumble, “D-De . . . D . . .”

  “Caedmon, you recognize him?” Faolan asked.

  “I recognize the mark, but he appears nothing like he used to,” Caedmon whispered in wonder.

  “What?” Ireli said.

  “He is Deraj Nairakaz, the Prime Archmage of the Ikalreev, but his appearance has changed. Drastically.”

  “Aye, he was malnourished and lacking ale, last I saw him,” Ehreion chimed in. “A bit more ‘torture-y,’ too.”

  Ireli glanced at him, knowing all too well what he meant.

  “I do not understand. How does this make sense?” Faolan asked.

  Ehreion cleared his throat. “Well, he enjoyed playing with our emotions and inducing pain. A bit awkward, in my opinion—”

  “No, no. Not that. I meant, why does he appear like a human?” Faolan directed the question toward Caedmon, leaving the dwarf’s side explanation unfinished.

  Caedmon shook his head. “I am uncertain. I have not seen him in thousands of years. The one who we saw in the trials was just a magical portrayal, a false image. He was not really there teaching us how to use our magic. He must have used veiling magic to hide himself as this old man, but that line of magic is dangerous and can imprison its user.”

  “We must keep moving, Caedmon,” Ireli urged as she glanced behind them with a sharp eye. “They will not be far behind.”

  “Al . . . A-Al . . . Alamor . . . amor . . . thala,” the old man mumbled as he rocked back and forth.

  “Althalamor,” Caedmon said as he looked into his master’s eyes.

  The old man nodded. “Go . . . go to.”

  “I understand, master. You must come with us.”

  The old man nodded.

  Caedmon picked up Deraj and held him carefully in his muscular arms. He led the charge south again toward the castle gate, passing ruined buildings and dead bodies along the way, though the active fighting had left their immediate area. The closer they came to the castle, the more women and children they saw included in the carnage.

  “Look,” Ireli said. “It’s Treasach.”

  The prince stood in the middle of the road not far ahead of them, but he was not moving and was standing w
ith an unnatural posture. They could see something was not right as the prince just stared at them approaching.

  They cautiously slowed as they neared the prince.

  “Treasach, we need to run!” Caedmon shouted. “The gates have fallen.”

  The prince did not react, remaining emotionless and calm.

  “What are you doing, forest boy?” Ehreion shouted with aggravation.

  The prince laughed at the group as they slowed to a stop. His laughter crescendoed, and they stopped a dozen yards away. His face began to change, and then his clothes transformed. His appearance was shifting and reforming.

  The creature became familiar as Faolan remembered seeing the being at the seal. It was one of the first five evils.

  “Careful,” Faolan said as he grabbed his swords. “It is one of the primary five.”

  Unexpectedly, the house to their right exploded. Ehreion and Ireli fell as stone flew toward them. Telfaldetrous emerged through the exploding debris and dirt with an expression of sadistic joy.

  “I found you!” Telfaldetrous bellowed in glee at Faolan.

  The monster struck Caedmon and threw the wolf on his back, causing Deraj to tumble to the ground. The evil beast laughed and raced toward Faolan.

  Several demon foot soldiers burst out of the surrounding alleyways and joined the fresh battle.

  Faolan concentrated his efforts against Telfaldetrous while the others focused their attacks on the foot soldiers. Fireballs and ice shards pierced dark flesh, vines sprouted and entangled adversaries, and gale-force winds swirled around the mages, tampering with the demons’ stability.

  “Go, run!” Faolan shouted to the others. “You must get out of here.”

  Aili screamed as a demon sliced her right leg, and red bloomed on her dress.

  “No!” Faolan yelled.

  He sprinted toward her and caught her as she was falling. He spun around with her in his arms and landed on his back. He shot a lightning bolt toward Telfaldetrous as the demon chased after him.

  Vines sprouted around the prime evil and wrapped around the demon’s limbs. The vines held the demon in place long enough for Faolan to lift Aili and sprint away. The others followed him and threw magic back in the faces of the foot soldiers chasing them.

  Faolan glanced over his shoulder, seeing that they would not be fast enough to escape their pursuers. He darted behind a building to his right and stopped just out of sight. He lowered Aili to the ground and leaned her back against a wall. He looked into her eyes, knowing the pain she felt from her wound was too great for her to bear. Her eyes were filled with tears, and her cheeks were flushed. He looked down at Aili’s dress, no longer seeing white below her thighs.

  He closed his eyes and his heart sank.

  “I love you, Aili,” Faolan said.

  “I love you, too, Faolan.” Aili’s voice quivered. “Why have we stopped?”

  Faolan looked down. “I must stay. So that you can live.”

  “No! We must leave together!” Aili lifted Faolan’s chin with her hand. “There is nothing left to save. Look around you. Everyone has fled to the river. We are the only ones left.”

  She was right, but Faolan shook his head. “I cannot leave. We will never make it to the river. I must stay and defend your escape.”

  Aili began to cry. She knew if he walked back out there, it would not end well. “No! You cannot fight them! We must go now. We can make it, I promise. I do not want to lose you again!”

  Tears streamed down Aili’s cheeks.

  Faolan sadly shook his head. “I am sorry.”

  Aili sobbed, and her vision blurred from the tears.

  “I love you.” Faolan leaned forward and kissed Aili.

  He stood up and took his swords in hand.

  “Ehreion, Ireli, protect Aili!” Faolan said. “Get her out of here.”

  They nodded and moved to assist her.

  Faolan walked around the building’s corner, back toward Telfaldetrous.

  Aili screamed out in sorrow, “Faolan, no! Do not leave me, please! We can escape. Please, Faolan. Please!” She crawled after him, a line of blood smearing across the stone as her legs dragged behind her.

  Faolan blocked out her screams and focused on Telfaldetrous. Without his anchor near him to ground his shattered mind and to prevent his thoughts from blending with falsities, his demeanor changed. His shoulders relaxed, and his arms hung lower. He pushed Aili and the thoughts of sadness that accompanied her out of his mind.

  “Come, Faolan, we must go!” Caedmon shouted as he ran past him. The wolf guardian stopped and looked back at Faolan when he saw the guardian was not following him. “What are you doing?”

  Faolan shouted over his shoulder, “I must stay. Take the others away from here.”

  Caedmon shouted, “What are you talking about? Have you lost your mind?”

  Faolan walked farther away without responding to the wolf. He began to whisper the Shadow Guardian’s code: “We, the Shadow Guardians, serve the King and his Kingdom. We protect the innocent and the weak. We are instruments of war and voices of peace. I am one of many. I will stand alone in order to protect the few. I walk alone so no other must. I will not falter. I will not fail.”

  He repeated two lines to himself: “I will protect the innocent and the weak. I will stand alone against the many.”

  Faolan looked at Telfaldetrous, then the deceiver and the approaching foot soldiers. He took a deep breath and then sprinted toward Telfaldetrous. His swords were poised to strike. Lightning shot out from his clenched fists. The lightning struck ground and enemy alike as his eyes locked on Telfaldetrous.

  The demon witnessed its adversary’s intense, color-changing left eye, knowing its origin: the trait of a fallen one.

  “You cannot defeat me!” Telfaldetrous roared. “You race to your death, angel!”

  The last word resonated with Faolan, and for a split second, a distant memory flashed in his mind. It was unclear, and he could not grasp its meaning, and he quickly returned to the present as he tried to shake off the anomalous sensation. He did not understand what had washed over him, but he pushed through the ambiguous memory and charged forward.

  Telfaldetrous laughed. “Where is your golden armor? Why are your swords not bathed in holy fire?”

  Again, the demon’s words caused Faolan to flash into a distant memory and then back into the present. He stumbled but shook off the memory and closed the gap between them. He swung his swords at Telfaldetrous, unleashing attack after attack, but the demon blocked each one. The demon’s skin was formidable, and only a righteous sword would be able to penetrate its thick, evil hide.

  “Pathetic.” Telfaldetrous laughed. “You have become so weak.”

  Telfaldetrous struck Faolan’s face, causing him to stumble and fall. The guardian kept focus through the forceful attack and used the fall, transitioning into a roll and springing back to his feet without stopping his momentum.

  Faolan spun and parried a descending attack from Telfaldetrous’s fists as the monster chased him. Faolan pushed Telfaldetrous away with his blades and spun his swords upside down, where the tri-teeth pointed toward the ground in a more aggressive posture.

  Telfaldetrous laughed at his efforts.

  Faolan charged and ferociously swung his blades at the taunting demon. His anger was rising as he remembered all those days in the dungeon. He remembered every time the seer came in and tortured him with the disturbing visions. He saw a smile on Telfaldetrous’s face, the same smirk he saw during his times of torment. It made his blood boil, and all the awful memories flooded back into his mind, accompanied by that old rage, nurtured by that dark room and his jailors.

  Faolan roared, “I will kill you!”

  Telfaldetrous laughed as it continued dodging and parrying Faolan’s attacks. Back and forth the fight danced as Faolan’s blades connected with the demon’s skin over and over, but his blades ricocheted off the hardened skin every time.

  The demon’s claws graze
d across the guardian’s chest, knocking the lone defender off center, creating a point of weakness. Telfaldetrous took advantage of the opening, sending a heavy hoof into Faolan’s chest, knocking the air from the guardian’s lungs.

  Faolan was launched off his feet, and he flew backward a dozen yards, rolling to a stop and clasping at his chest as he gasped for air.

  “No!” Aili screamed as she watched the battle unfold, still struggling with Ehreion and Ireli to leave her. She rose up on her weakened legs and stumbled toward Faolan, shoving Ehreion away.

  “Faolan!” she screamed.

  “Stop her!” Caedmon shouted as he engaged in battle with the deceiver. Ehreion and Ireli chased after Aili as she staggered toward Faolan.

  “Aili, stop!” Ireli shouted. “We have to go.”

  Several foot soldiers sprinted toward them and cut them off from Aili as their claws raked the air, and the mages dodged. Their attention quickly refocused on the new adversaries.

  Ehreion and Ireli were divided by the sudden onslaught and the demons’ corralling maneuvers. Ehreion rolled to the right, separating himself from Ireli as she darted into an alleyway to the left. Both tried desperately to escape the flurry of incoming attacks.

  Ehreion turned and parried a clawed hand as it descended toward his face. The impact pushed him back into a wooden door behind him. The hinges broke, and the door fell inward. Ehreion rolled backward into the house and out of view of the others. Three demons chased Ehreion into the small house.

  Farther up the road and separated from her defenders, Aili reached Faolan’s unconscious body. He was lying face down and not moving. Aili rolled him over on to his back, and tears burst from her eyes anew, streaming down her cheeks as she began to panic.

  “Faolan!” Aili screamed.

  Blood ran out of Faolan’s mouth and nose, and his eyes were closed. She lowered her cheek and hovered close to his nose, feeling no air flow.

  “Come on, breathe!” she shouted as she began pushing on his chest and pumping his heart and lungs.

  “Your efforts mean nothing, girl,” Telfaldetrous said. “It does not matter if you resuscitate him.”