Rise of the Fallen Page 18

Soul walked out leaving me alone in the small room. I moved to follow him, but Markos’ towering figure blocked the doorway.

  “Do you not trust me?” Markos asked with a threatening tone.

  I took an instinctive step back. “What have you done, Markos?” My voice shook.

  Markos waved his hand. “You can rest easy, Emilie. Your precious human world is safe for now. My kind won’t surface until I give the word.”

  Was his smile supposed to put me at ease? I didn’t see how, the last time he smiled like that I thought he was going to kill me.

  “Does Soul know about this?”

  Markos took a step towards me, backing me into a corner.

  “I don’t believe he needs to know yet. You will keep your mouth shut. I would hate to have to hurt you.” Markos’ eyes turned dark with a sinister glint.

  Flames covered my hands. Markos backed off. “Are you threatening me?” I asked in a warning tone.

  Markos held up his hands in surrender, “No harm, no foul. But I think we could work well together, Emilie.”

  He moved back so far that he was just outside the door.

  “I will never be a part of your plans!”

  “And what plans are you referring to?” He asked.

  The flames rose higher from my now closed fists. I was going to set him alight, and save Soul the bother, when Dorian came to the door. He quirked an eyebrow at me, then looked at Markos who was shrinking away.

  “Emilie, come out of here. I’d like to speak to you in the foyer,” Dorian said.

  I followed him. The flames had relaxed but sparked when I passed Markos. He jumped back to avoid the embers that burst in the air. Dorian hadn’t noticed, his back was to me as we walked down the large staircase to the foyer.

  He turned to face me. We looked back to see if Markos had followed but he was nowhere in sight.

  “I do wish you’d be more careful around Markos, Emilie, my dear,” Dorian said, his voice laced with concern.

  “I’m capable of taking care of myself, Dorian.”

  “That you are,” Dorian said tenderly.

  “Besides, I believe I need to be ‘careful’ around most demons, not just the vampyres,” I said.

  He was standing in the centre of the foyer, his arms crossed neatly over his chest. His eyes were dark and cautious.

  Dorian sighed, moving closer. “Emilie, I want you to come away with me.”

  I laughed – louder than I intended. Soul loved me and he had done all this to protect me, to make us safe from Lilith. There was no reason for me to leave with Dorian.

  He forced a smile, looking down at his hands. “I’m leaving; for good. I can’t be a part of this anymore, he’s taking this too far.”

  “Okay. Bye then.” My voice sounded more cutting then I meant. “I need you to know that I love you, and I’ll be here for you when you change your mind,” Dorian said, looking me in the eyes.

  I wouldn’t change my mind, I was sure of that. I nodded anyway.

  “Goodbye, Emilie,” Dorian whispered, taking my hand and kissing it. Then he was gone.

  CHAPTER 19

  The hall was dark, deserted and cold. The grey stone flooring reflected flames from the many torches that lined each wall of the large room. Soul’s arms were around me as I sat on his lap. The throne was beautiful, of course; a stunning black marble, with arms encrusted in large red rubies. Soul chuckled and gently bit me on the neck.

  We were interrupted by the sound of the doors at the end of the hall swinging open to reveal Eric, the other fire elemental, being held roughly back by Bato. They waited just outside the doors for Soul’s permission. Soul invited them in and as they approached, he bit me one more time.

  I was almost sure that he had broken the skin this time and the thought sickened me. I hated that Soul had taken on those vampyre habits, but I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. My disgust for the things he did hadn’t outweighed my desire for him. Eric looked repulsed as Bato threw him to the floor.

  “And what do you want?” Soul asked, completely uninterested in the answer.

  “I want you to let Emilie go. She doesn’t belong with you and she doesn’t belong in your world.” Eric said. His eyes were a deep burgundy and filled with fire.

  “She seems fine to me. As a matter of fact, she prefers her new life with me. Don’t you, love?”

  I forced a smile as I felt Soul’s lips press to my neck.

  “For goodness sake Emilie, snap out of it!” Eric yelled.

  “Snap out of what? Soul’s right, I like being with him. I’ve never been happier.” I quickly breathed out my reply as once again Soul bit my neck, a little more gently than before. I wished I sounded more convincing.

  “I can’t believe you’re letting him bite you.” Eric spat at me.

  Eric’s disgust rivalled my own. The love I felt for Soul was fading with every day that passed. He had become too powerful to leave just yet. I knew I was strong enough to defend myself from him, but the seven legions he reigned over were a different story. For now at least, I would much rather be his friend, lover and ally than his enemy.

  “You sound like Cael.” I said, feeling pangs of guilt at the mention of his name.

  Soul chuckled and shifted his arms from my waist up to my neck, choking me slightly.

  “Be nice, love.” Soul’s voice was playful.

  “There’s a good reason for that, Emilie. Cael came and found me,” Eric said dropping his tone to a whisper, “Will you leave all of this if Cael comes back?”

  Soul made sure I didn’t have a chance to respond first.

  “Her powers are at their peak.” Soul stood up and placed me on the throne. “And yours, Eric, are weak. You’re no match for either of us.” Soul took a few steps towards Eric, wiping my blood from his lips.

  “At her peak?” Eric said incredulously, “Emilie, don’t be stupid! You know your powers are even greater than his. Here, with him, they’re controllable, but back in the human world our powers are limitless.”

  I knew he was right; my powers were incredible when I was home and I missed using them. With a flick of Soul’s wrist Eric was flung backwards, his skull cracking against the stone floor. I waited, too scared to move. Eric pulled himself to his feet.

  “I can kill you. I should kill you.” Eric hissed to Soul, clenching his fists as bright orange flames began to ignite along his knuckles.

  “You can try,” Soul replied with another condescending smirk. He turned around and looked me in the eyes and a small smile appeared on his face as he spoke, “Bato, take care of it.”

  Before Bato could reach Eric he was thrown back by a powerful force of energy.

  “Hasriel!” Eric called out in a loud, panicked voice. That voice echoed through the empty hall. A blindingly bright, white light appeared beside him and out of it came wings that spread almost to either end of the great hall before coiling protectively around Eric. Cael appeared beside Hasriel staring up at me, his face impassive though there was a look of determination in his eyes.

  “Cael?” I gasped.

  His eyes left mine, resting on Soul.

  “They’re back, Soul.” Cael spoke, his face breaking into a grin, “What are you going to do now you have challengers?”

  “Impossible!” Soul whispered, staring in shock.

  “Oh, I promise you. It’s possible.”

  I sat in silent awe, grasping the arms of the throne, unable to move or stand up. Bato had stumbled backwards in horror and hadn’t taken his eyes off the visitor for a second. He had reason to be astonished. Scared too. It was an angel. Eric had summoned an angel into the underworld. It was everything I had imagined an angel to be; beautiful and powerful. I had thought it damn near impossible to find one, after the last fight between the angels and the demons centuries ago. Soul had told me that the angels had gone into hiding after the demons had won and taken back what was “rightfully theirs”. It was by force, but nonetheless no angel had been seen for centuries. Cael
was right.

  “You can only keep her here so long, Soul,” Cael warned.

  Eric agreed, “She’ll find us soon.”

  Cael looked back to me, mouthing “goodbye” before stepping closer to the angel. The wings closed tighter around Eric and in another flash of white light the faceless angel, Cael and Eric had disappeared. He’d done it. Cael had brought the angels back and I knew instantly that I had to find him again. Cael meant so much to me; I would do anything to be back in the human realm with him.

  Soul hadn’t uttered a word in minutes; he merely stood staring at the spot where the angel had appeared.

  “They’re coming back … We have to stop it,” Bato said, dusting himself off and looking up at Soul.

  I stood up from the throne and walked slowly towards Soul. I reached out and gently touched his arm. He didn’t speak but I knew he was worried. I wondered if any of that worry was about what I would choose, but I doubted it.

  “Well what are we going to do, Soul?” Bato’s voice was slightly shaky.

  Soul stared me in the eyes before leaning down and gently kissing me on the lips. I knew the instant our lips met what his decision was.

  He would decide, and every demon would listen. He would singlehandedly wage a war on the angels. No wonder. His powers were the strongest that a demonic entity had ever held, and I was the strongest of my kind – but I knew this was a fight that he wouldn’t win. I would never fight against Cael. Soul placed his hand on my cheek and smiled lightly before turning back to Bato.

  “Call Legions Two and Three,” Soul commanded.

  Bato walked to the end of the hall once more, pulling open the giant doors. Dorian entered, his head held high. He was followed by twenty other demons, all of whom kept a short distance behind him. The demons fell into formation behind Bato and Dorian, they stared up at Soul expectantly.

  “The angels are returning, one came here to our territory. I wanted to inform you first, before the lower legions come,” Soul said staring down at them, “Show your true form.”

  I stared at Soul, confused as to why he’d want them in their demonic form. As I turned back to the crowd below us, I realised why.

  The small group of demons that crowded behind Bato all looked similar. Their porcelain-white faces were covered with thick, black, swirling tattoo-like designs. Their eyes were completely black and lacked any emotion. Shapeshifters. I’d never seen them in their true form before. Though they weren’t as frightening as Soul’s demonic form, their vacant eyes were unnerving.

  The larger group of Legion Two demons behind Dorian had turned a silver colour and, from their bald heads, thick metal spikes trailed along their spine to their lower back. They were muscular and looked to have almost doubled in size.

  Heavy steps echoed through the hall, along the ranks a few head demons turned back to see a hundred more enter. These had distorted facial features and were still wearing clothes from the human realm. The demons of Legion Four and Five. I strained my eyes looking for any that looked similar to the ones that had taken Cael and I all those years ago, but I couldn’t see any of them.

  In mere moments hundreds of demons in their true form had filled the room, the fiery torchlight flickered with their arrival. They stood in columns like an army – the highest and most powerful legions at the front.

  “The angels are back,” Soul said, “If I find out any lower-level demons knew about this before I did, your powers will be mine and I will make your death slow and painful.”

  The lower legions began standing up straight. They knew Soul wasn’t to be toyed with. As they stood under the dull light of the torches they began to whisper to one another, a few louder demons yelling out for war.

  Dorian stepped forward, his eyes flashing between Soul and I before speaking, “Understood, Soul, but see this from our perspective. They came here, to our realm. How do we protect ourselves here?”

  Soul’s thumb gently caressed the back of my hand and I became uneasy.

  “If they want the human realm for themselves, they will have to appear in the human realm,” Soul said with conviction.

  The masses of demons became agitated at those words. One of the louder ones pushed past Bato who in turn gave him the most chilling looks I’d ever seen.

  “So we just let them take it?” he yelled in fury.

  Soul’s arm twitched and I could tell he was resisting the urge to silence the demon. I contemplated pushing the demon back with my own powers, but I wanted to see how Soul would react first.

  Bato moved to pull the unnamed demon back into line, but Soul held up his hand stopping him. Soul walked down the stairs, taking his time. The demon was visibly unnerved. When Soul stood beside the towering demon it was an odd match. But there was no doubt as to who held the power.

  Soul stared the silver demon down and he instantly fell to his knees with a pained cry. All eyes were on Soul, anticipating his next move. I noticed a few demons shifted away, bumping into others behind them, almost as though they were trying to make room for a quick escape.

  “Your name?” Soul asked, his voice cold.

  His eyes dropped to the stone floor. “Isasel,” he answered in a strained voice.

  Soul reached a hand out and touched Isasel’s cheek before dropping his hand to the demon’s throat, squeezing tightly. A choked yelp escaped his lips as Soul’s sharp, pointed teeth tore into his throat. Instead of the red blood I’d expected, thick bluish-grey liquid oozed from Isasel, pooling on the ground. Soul dropped him and leaned forward letting out a breath over the demon’s face. The same purple smoke I’d seen when Zaida was killed rose from Isasel’s lips and eyes. It only took a few seconds for Soul to take Isasel’s powers. With a flick of his wrist, he broke the demon’s neck.

  “Anyone else?” Soul offered in the same tone as before. His eyes were dark and frightening as he turned and walked back up to my side.

  There was a deafening silence in the crowded throne room. I felt claustrophobic and I could tell that many of the demons in the middle felt the same. They shifted uneasily, their eyes darting between each other.

  Dorian and Bato looked unsurprised, as though they’d seen him like this before. I froze.

  Soul’s eyes met mine and I shuddered. His waxy, grey face twisted into a smug grin. He wasn’t the same man as before, I could see it in his eyes. Where I had once seen touches of humanity, I now saw conceit and a thirst for power that threatened to destroy him. I inhaled sharply preparing myself for what was to come next. The crowd of demons had shuffled forward, staring up at Soul expectantly.

  Soul took a step forward, speaking out in a loud, strong voice that held untold confidence and power. “We will fight!”

  BLACK&WRITE! INDIGENOUS

  WRITING AND EDITING PROJECT

  Launched in 2010, the black&write! Project is committed to the development of Indigenous editors and fostering Indigenous writing talent. From an annual writing competition, to training of editors and providing workshops and mentorships for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander writers, black&write! is the only program of its kind.

  State Library of Queensland is home to the Project and its team of editors who are trained through the development of the winning black&write! competition entries. The competition is national and open to both published and new Indigenous authors of fiction, children’s books and poetry. The editing and writing mentorships received funding from the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

  In addition, the project trains OnScreen editors, some who work online from their communities. This aspect is made possible through funding by the Literature Board of the Australia Council.

  The developed entries are published by Magabala Books in partnership with State Library of Queensland. Black&write! is a longterm professional development program with the aim of bringing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander stories to readers worldwide.

  For further information please visit the State Library of Queensland website.

  “The competi
tion gave me wings. I would have been too intimidated to push it through other avenues to get published.” Sue McPherson, author of Grace Beside Me, and inaugural winner of black&write! competition.

  TEAGAN CHILCOTT, 19, is a first time author living in Redcliffe, Queensland. She identifies with the Kamilaroi from Northern NSW and Wakka Wakka from Queensland. Born in Brisbane, she was raised by her mother and grandmother. In her senior year Teagan began working on Rise of the Fallen. The idea came in a dream, and she wrote the final chapter of the novel first before writing the beginning. In her spare time Teagan likes reading true crime books, and watching horror movies. Teagan currently works in a casual job as an Administration Officer, but her true passion has and always will be her writing.

  ABOUT THE SEQUEL

  The angels and demons are at war. The prize: the human realm. As Emilie discovers neither sides care how many human lives are lost as they seek control, she and Cael embark on a journey to gather the elementals together in order to make a stand.