Rise of the Fallen Read online

  I raised an eyebrow as she shut the door, “Why would we need privacy?”

  Soul chuckled, “Ignore her, it’s typical Phebe. It was an insinuation if you missed it.”

  “No, I didn’t miss it …”

  Not like anything was going to happen though, my self control was much stronger now, Markos helped prove that.

  “Relax, I’m not going to proposition you or anything,” Soul said.

  I shrugged, “It wouldn’t matter if you were.”

  He frowned and shook his head. “You’re making this difficult for me … I’m trying to change everything for you and you’re still acting like you hate me.”

  “I don’t hate you,” I replied smiling, “I just like teasing you.”

  “You’re evil!” Soul exclaimed.

  “Oh, I know,” I said, sitting back on the bed. He sat down beside me and stared at the wall. We sat in silence.

  “Phebe was right … Dorian needs to redecorate or something,” Soul said with a laugh.

  I giggled. “This is the worst house ever. Yours is much nicer.”

  He turned to me with genuine surprise. “Oh really? I was under the impression you hated it.”

  “Only after you killed Sophie.”

  He looked at me in disbelief. “So Lilith and Zacharia didn’t affect you at all?”

  I was about to say no, before I realised something. “Yes, what did happen to Zacharia?”

  Soul looked away nervously, “Uh … nothing.”

  “Soul … What did you do?”

  He avoided making eye contact as he spoke, “What makes you think I did it?”

  “You said you were going to kill him,” I said.

  That was an obvious answer, and he opened himself up for it.

  “I didn’t kill him … Lilith did.”

  Lilith didn’t mind killing anyone who disobeyed her, so it shouldn’t have shocked me that she killed Zacharia. He was only a child though. He was powerful too, so I must be worth a lot to Lilith if she was willing to kill Zacharia over me. Since I was born I’ve wanted to be something spectacular. This would mean I was someone who was wanted; but now that I am, I realise it’s a foolish ambition. People are dying because of me, and now I want to know why. The few times that I had used my powers made me aware of how strong they were and how they were evolving into something I could never have imagined. It frightened me to think of the plans that Lilith had for me. I didn’t want anyone else to get hurt or killed because of Lilith, or because of me. There was no sense in that, and I didn’t want it on my conscience. My powers shouldn’t be used for that, they should bring the human realm peace and make it a sanctuary for all elementals and humans alike.

  Lilith had enough power, but she wanted more. I thought Samael was in charge, but it was clear now that this wasn’t the case. Samael was barely ever mentioned. Lilith’s overprotective nature made me doubt the magnitude of his abilities. Samael had been described so often as a fallen angel, but I began to doubt that was true. He was on a different level. It sounds silly to call him “Death”, as the Emriahls had filled that position long before he came along. I couldn’t help but wonder if Samael really wanted all of this to happen, if he really supported Lilith or only did out of necessity. Lilith had many other lovers and any one of those would have gladly taken Samael out in order to fill his role.

  “Is Samael really important to Lilith? Or is he just a scapegoat?” I asked.

  Soul’s eyes seemed troubled. “Don’t underestimate him. Lilith seems malicious … but only because she’s more vocal about what she wants. Samael is different. He’s the type that you won’t see coming until it’s too late.”

  I suppose it was stupid of me to think that they had a miniscule amount of good left in them. I had thought that demons were only viewed as evil because of the religious texts, but what if they were equal to the angels? That would certainly raise some doubts in the human world, and I think it would make things more interesting. Even if there was no good or evil, just something in between, I’m sure humans would still lead self-destructive lives, as they have done for centuries.

  “We’re not all heartless like them,” Soul said reading my thoughts, and leaning down to kiss me on the cheek.

  I believed that some of them were different. Soul definitely was different and so was Markos. Phebe was beginning to earn my trust too, though I had only just met her. She seemed more genuine than the others. Yet Dorian was so completely corrupt I wondered if Soul would actually take him out.

  “Are you tired?” Soul asked all of a sudden.

  I frowned. Even if I were tired, I wouldn’t have wanted to sleep here. Twenty-odd demons surrounded me, and besides – the bed looked dodgy. Not to mention that he was still beside me.

  “No …” I said quietly. I knew my exhaustion was clear in my voice.

  He laughed a little. “It was just a question … Besides, you have a big day tomorrow.”

  “What?” I asked.

  “You’re going to try and get the other fire elemental to join us. We mentioned him before.” Soul’s smile was beginning to wear thin.

  “How the hell am I supposed to get him to join us?” I asked incredulously.

  “Well not with that attitude you won’t. Smile a little. Oh, and if all else fails, kiss him. I’m sure he’d enjoy it.” He started laughing at the last part.

  “I beg your pardon? Did you really just say ‘kiss him’?”

  He shrugged. “Yep, it’ll definitely go great if you do that. Better yet, sleep with him.”

  I wasn’t going to let him get away with it. “So that did bother you then?”

  He stopped laughing. “No … I’m fine with it.”

  “Sure,” I said.

  “Okay … I was a little upset, I admit it. I’m sorry for the comment though, that was out of line,” he said with a cough.

  I glanced towards the door. The voices from the other room had become louder.

  “What’s his name?” I asked.

  “Who?” Soul said looking at me.

  “The one I’m meeting tomorrow,” I replied, leaning back onto the bed.

  “I’m not sure … He’s got a bit of a temper though, so be careful.”

  I shrugged. I have a killer temper myself, so this wouldn’t be that difficult to handle. Soul lay back on the bed beside me, which must have been awkward for him considering his height – it was comfortable enough for me, I’m small, but Soul didn’t show any signs of discomfort. He reached over for my hand and held it in his. I stared up at the ceiling, taking note of the patterns that the cracks made. I looked over to him, he was staring at me. Looking into his eyes I saw something I hadn’t seen in a while.

  I saw the same look that Cael had given me every day of my life since I had risked everything with Dorian. I hoped that Soul wouldn’t treat me the same way Cael had … Cael had never been able to forgive me and had never treated me as his equal. Soul was treating me fine though. It hurt to think about Cael like this. As I looked into Soul’s eyes I couldn’t help but remember how he almost begged me not to fight back at Montague Park. Cael managed to escape without being hurt too badly, which was something that couldn’t be said for Holly, but I couldn’t care less about her. I knew something about her wasn’t right, which made me remember what Lilith had said.

  Holly had been manipulated by another group of demons; I doubt she knew what loyalty was. If Soul was able to overthrow Lilith and Samael, what would stop the others from doing the same to him? They had managed to influence a powerful elemental into killing her parents. Clearly that was only small compared to what they could do.

  CHAPTER 15

  I stepped out of the car with exaggerated slowness, dreading the moment that my boots would make contact with the loose gravel of the public car park. They had no idea how powerful the other elemental would be, so they had decided to send me in to find out. They argued that I wasn’t completely defenceless; I still had full use of my powers. Somehow that didn’t comfor
t me though. I knew that if I was injured in the process of finding out more about him, the demons wouldn’t care.

  As I stood up properly and leaned against the car, a cold breeze blew my hair into my face and sent a chill up my spine. I had complained that I was cold but Soul insisted I wear the dress that he picked out for me. It was a baby blue, knee-high dress and though it was not in the slightest bit revealing I still felt self-conscious wearing it. I stood beside the car looking over at a small house next to the entrance of the national park. There was only one window open. The others were firmly shut, with the curtains drawn.

  “He’s watching you,” Dorian said with a grin.

  Holding my dress down around my knees as another gust of wind blew past, I looked up to the open window. I could only vaguely make out his tall, lanky shape in the shadows.

  “Perhaps it would be wise to go over and introduce yourself,” Dorian suggested, impatience clear in his voice.

  I looked towards the house and back to him then shook my head.

  “You misunderstood me, you will go over and introduce yourself seeing as you’ve wasted enough of my time already,” Dorian said roughly.

  Soul leaned towards me. “It looks like you don’t have to go in,” he said, pointing towards the cottage.

  The front door was ajar and there was a boy making his way to the park entrance.

  “Well go after him. And for pity’s sake, please try not to set fire to the national park. The federal police are the last thing we need to deal with right now,” Dorian said, turning the key in the ignition of the car.

  Soul shot him a glare and turned to me, his eyes filled with concern. “Please don’t fall and break your neck on the trail … I love you,” he said leaning back into his seat.

  I nodded and ran quickly across the almost-empty parking lot. The track led to a suspension bridge that was midway up the tall trees and anchored by steel footings. I supposed it was safe enough. There were worse places I could be right now. The railings on either side were far too low for my liking and didn’t even look particularly sturdy. There had to be at least twenty safety hazards that I could see before even making my way onto the bridge.

  I took a deep breath and stepped slowly onto the bridge, which creaked loudly and menacingly. Each step I took was slow and precise; I was making sure I stayed in the centre. I would rather stay alive than die by breaking my neck carrying out a task for demons. Besides, I would just keep coming back in a new life form until I fulfilled my life’s purpose – whatever that was.

  I couldn’t even see the guy anymore. I felt like I was chasing a shadow. There was a rest stop up ahead and I contemplated turning back. There was no telling who was on the other side of it; a timber wall blocked it from sight. I looked over the side of the railing and almost wished I hadn’t. I was up far higher than I thought. The dense forest below seemed less than inviting. I was surprised by my own cowardice, but then I realised there was no reason for me to even try to be brave.

  I looked towards the rest stop. I did a double-take. I could have sworn I saw Cael step behind the timber wall. It was only a flash though, and in a blink he was gone. Almost instantly my fear fell away.

  The fire elemental could try and attack me, or he could come willingly; or he could just say “no”, in which case, Dorian would kill me. It seemed there were more negative consequences than positives. I approached the rest stop slowly, in the hope of seeing Cael again. Instead I came face to face with the fire elemental.

  “Who are you and why do you keep following me?” he demanded, his voice breaking slightly.

  He was taller than I had expected, not as handsome either. His bright red hair, with his unusual height and thin build made him seem like nothing more than an awkward teenager. Harmless, really.

  “I’m Emilie, I’m a fire elemental just like you,” I said, not taking my eyes off him, despite appearances I knew better than to turn my back to him.

  He glared at me and shook his head, “Prove it, then I’ll believe you.”

  He was far too demanding for someone who I doubted could be very strong at all. He was nothing, a puppy. More bark than bite. Regardless, I held out my right hand and a ball of deep red flames ignited just above my palm. I made sure he saw them for at least a few seconds before I extinguished the flames and walked towards him.

  “Happy?” I asked, the attitude clear in my voice.

  He shrugged and sat down on a small bench seat on the opposite side of the small lookout post. “Why’d you come looking for me …?”

  “The demons told me to, I assume you know about them,” I spoke honestly, almost laughing at the awkward way he uncrossed his lanky legs.

  “Why did they tell you to?” he asked, coughing to cover yet another break.

  “They want you to join them,” I replied. There was no point in me sugar-coating it for him; he’d have to find out eventually.

  “Yeah well, tough,” he said blinking, “I’m kind of with the angels.”

  “They don’t exist anymore,” I retorted, shaking my head at his naivety.

  I wished that they still existed, but I had to let go of that childish belief and come back to reality. They don’t and won’t ever again.

  “They do … My name’s Eric, by the way.” His voice broke again.

  Strangely enough the name Eric suited him perfectly. I could already tell that he was stubborn enough to refuse to come back with me, I also knew Dorian wouldn’t accept it. I wasn’t to take no for an answer. Eric seemed like a nice guy – if not completely clueless – but he was hardly deserving of having to spend an eternity with demons. Of course, he wouldn’t have to for very long if he stayed on his best behaviour, what with Soul’s impending mutiny.

  “So you’re with the demons then?” Eric asked with curiosity in his eyes.

  I looked at him incredulously. “Just follow me, please …” I said turning and walking quickly back towards the path. I was less than comfortable in the current setting. I wanted to return to the car … if Soul had come back yet, of course.

  I looked back a few times to make sure he was still following, and sure enough he was walking close behind, shadowing my every move. As we reached the entrance and I looked out at the car park I felt annoyance and abandonment. Soul’s car wasn’t there and now I was alone. Eric was still here, but that was as good as alone.

  “Doesn’t seem like they stayed for you,” he said with a slight smirk on his face.

  I turned around and answered with sarcasm oozing from my voice. “Thank you so much for pointing out the obvious, I don’t know how I’ve lived without you.”

  “I hope you realise that you walk incredibly fast.” Markos’ loud voice shocked me. I spun around.

  There he was in all his glory, standing behind Eric, who seemed frozen in place.

  “What are you doing here, Markos?” I asked quietly, walking over to him. I pushed past Eric and hugged Markos lightly.

  Markos laughed and looked towards Eric. “Dorian told me to come get you. By the way, what’s with the kid?”

  “He’s a puppy,” I explained.

  He chastised me, “Play nice.”

  “Fine, Eric is the elemental you all wanted me to find.”

  Markos nodded, “I want to get back, so let’s go. Are you coming, Eric?”

  “No I’m not! I already told her that I’m working with the angels,” Eric said, exasperated.

  Markos turned to me, “I take it back, treat it how you want. He’s annoying.”

  I started out the entrance gate and Markos followed, but Eric’s voice stopped me.

  “Hey Emilie, wait.”

  I spun around and sent him an impatient glance.

  “I hope you realise you’re making a big mistake,” Eric said.

  I took a step towards him, but Markos’ hand on my shoulder pulled me back.

  “What are you doing?” Markos asked.

  “I want to know what mistake he thinks I’m making,” I replied instantly. I thou
ght that was obvious.

  He shook his head, “It’s not worth it.”

  I sighed and looked away from Eric, who was staring at me with impatience.

  “Let’s just go, please,” I said.

  Markos nodded and walked me across the parking lot and onto a dirt road. There was a large SUV parked on the side of the road and Markos unlocked it quickly, opening my door for me.

  He drove at the same speed that Dorian drove on the way there, taking the same shortcuts and finding the same flaws with the inane human drivers as Dorian had. He pulled into the driveway of Dorian’s house and walked me up the porch stairs. Phebe forced a smile as she answered the door, though her eyes seemed wary.

  “Markos, how lovely to see you again,” Phebe said politely, hesitating as she reached forward to touch his arm.

  “And you,” he replied with a smooth voice, gesturing for me to enter the house first.

  Phebe stepped aside and shot me an almost apologetic look as she brushed her hair behind her ear. Markos followed me inside and I heard the door shut quietly behind him. Phebe stepped around Markos to walk beside me. She watched me uncertainly.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, stopping just before we reached the staircase.

  She hesitated again, biting her lip. “Dorian is absolutely livid, he’s saying you’ve ruined everything. I’ve never seen him like this.”

  “I probably have,” I replied.

  I knew I could handle one of Dorian’s mood swings, but I couldn’t handle the tension. Surely Lilith was aware of everything, aware of the pending mutiny, and she hadn’t done anything yet. I couldn’t lose Soul; he was all I had now. I couldn’t handle being alone again.

  “Look, don’t worry about him, I’ll handle it. Just trust me.” Markos said, snapping his fingers in front of me to get my attention.

  “Oh right, trust you. Because that turned out so well last time! You shouldn’t even be here, you traitor,” Phebe all but shouted.

  “Stop arguing, Phebe, you’re making a mess. Do something about it, won’t you?” Dorian’s calm voice made me jump. I looked towards Phebe.