Rise of the Fallen Read online

  My window was not open before I fell asleep. I rushed over to it, pulling it closed quickly. My heart was pounding loudly in my chest. Another crash of thunder was all that was needed to make me jump. I jammed my eyes shut and whispered Cael’s name.

  In an instant, painless flash of crimson flames, I was in Cael’s room. He looked up from his book and jumped to his feet.

  “Emilie, what happened?” His voice was full of concern as he brushed the hair from my eyes. I was surprised to see I was shaking.

  “Were you in my room?” I asked quietly, looking up into his eyes.

  “No, I wasn’t. Why do you ask?”

  If it wasn’t Cael, who could it have been? As far as I knew, no one else had any idea where we lived.

  “I fell asleep on the floor near my door and when I woke up my window was open and I was in my bed,” I mumbled.

  Cael gently pushed my hair behind my ears. His hand rested against my neck while he spoke again.

  “Perhaps it was Soul. Or perhaps I was right and he has already told someone where we are.” His voice was soothing yet condescending.

  I felt uneasy with his hand against my neck. Once again he was trying to blame it all on Soul.

  “He doesn’t know where we live. He’s not a demon.”

  Cael dropped his hand at the venom in my voice.

  “Oh well, you’re just the big expert on knowing a demon in human form when you see one, aren’t you?” he said roughly. I froze.

  “What’s that face for, Emilie? Have you forgotten about Dorian? Because I haven’t.”

  Cael was right. I had no reason to trust Soul. I hadn’t been given any reassurance that he was a human; perhaps it was just wishful thinking. I had chosen to ignore the facts yet again. Strangely enough, I didn’t feel one bit guilty about it.

  I glanced up at Cael and replied in an angry whisper, “I said I was sorry. What more do you want from me?”

  He looked me in the eyes. “I know you’re sorry. That doesn’t change anything. You have no idea what I’ve done for you, to set you free, to set us both free.” His voice had lost all harshness, now it took on an urgent edge.

  I wasn’t going to let this go.

  “Freedom? This is freedom? Sure had me fooled,” I laughed sarcastically.

  “I beg your pardon?” Cael’s voice was calm.

  “You call this freedom? We are hiding out like animals. We do nothing. We sit around and wait for them to find us. There was more dignity back in the shadows of the underworld. More respect,” I said, not breaking eye contact.

  He was silent for a moment, taking a step back as he spoke. “But I thought this was what you wanted, Emilie.”

  “This is not what I want! This is what you want. It’s always been about what you want.”

  A flash of lightning lit up the dark sky outside.

  “Fine, what do you want then?” he asked softly.

  What? That was definitely not the reaction I had expected from Cael. I had expected some big rant about him knowing what was best for me, or him wanting to protect me.

  “I want to use my powers. I don’t want to hide, to be afraid,” I said softly, taking a step towards him. “I want to feel alive again.”

  “Okay. Use your powers however you see fit,” Cael said, shifting nervously and smiling. “Just do me a favour and make sure you aren’t caught using them.”

  I smiled, “I promise I’ll be careful.”

  He shrugged lightly, a tense smile on his face. “They’re your powers, Emilie. I have no right to control them, or you. Feel free to do what you want. I won’t judge you. I have a request though,” he said quietly, his eyes meeting mine.

  “Anything,” I replied instantly.

  He opened his mouth to speak, just as the room was engulfed in darkness. It must have been the power lines. That’d be right, our first real talk in decades and a storm hits. These Queensland storms are by far the most damaging that I’ve ever witnessed.

  Cael’s voice cut through the darkness like a knife. “Look, don’t worry, we’ll talk later. Whoever was in your room might still be around, so why don’t I stay with you and you can relax for a while.”

  I made a move to leave; Cael grabbed my arm and walked me down the dark hallway to my room. We arrived at my room and I reached out to turn the handle but a hand stopped me. I turned back around in the darkness.

  “Goodnight, Emilie,” Cael said before kissing me gently on the lips. His hand released my wrist and in a second he was gone. I couldn’t believe he had just kissed me. What was going on in his mind? I had never thought of him in that way.

  I opened my door, closing it quickly behind me. This time, I didn’t just sink to the floor; I went straight to my bed and felt for my mobile phone. The blue screen light lit up my bedroom.

  On the screen, was an alert for a message. I opened it quickly. “No Number” was displayed at the top of the screen.

  Emilie, I’m quite disappointed in you. You are much easier to find than I could have ever imagined. By the way, sleeping on the floor like that cannot be good for your back. D.

  CHAPTER 4

  I was happy that today was the last day before the weekend. Cael was leaving to go to northern Sydney for a few days, so I would be left to my own devices. I hadn’t told him about the message from Dorian last night; I was too ashamed. It was the mere fact that Dorian knew where I was that made my heart race with excitement, and I wasn’t going to let Cael take that away from me. Finally, there would be something happening in my life, something interesting.

  I hadn’t replied to Dorian’s message yet; that could wait until after the weekend. My plans for the weekend involved practising my powers in some place quiet and secluded. I contemplated going to the back of our property, which was surrounded by a bunch of dead trees and bush land. I was worried that all the dead leaves and branches would intensify the flames, but there seemed to be nowhere else to go.

  I hadn’t used my powers in well over a century and was worried that they wouldn’t work as well as they used to. I wasn’t game enough to reply to Dorian until I was sure I could defend myself. I couldn’t have him thinking he was more than I could handle.

  “What are you smiling about?” Cael teased me.

  I shrugged, the smile disappearing from my face. We rode to school in silence for the most part. I hadn’t said a word to him since last night when he kissed me, with good reason too. It was out of line. I didn’t care what he was thinking. I didn’t like him like that and I had been clear about it, especially over the last few days since Soul’d been around.

  “God, Emilie, why won’t you talk to me?” Cael’s voice broke a little. “You know why,” I retorted.

  Cael sighed softly, a pained expression on his face. I felt my stomach drop. How could I have not noticed how his feelings towards me had changed? When had this happened? I thought back to our first year free from the demons of Legion Five.

  It was a little over three centuries ago; Cael and I were sitting on the edge of a rocky cliff overlooking the rough ocean that bordered the west coast of Ireland. He held my hand tightly, his blond hair blew across his face and he had the brightest smile ever.

  “You mean the world to me, Emilie. I would do anything for you.” The intensity of his voice made me smile.

  “And I you,” I replied.

  He stood, and pulled me up and away from the edge. We walked back along the bright green open field of long grass, holding hands all the while. The sun shone down on us, bathing us in its warm light as Cael pulled me to him in an embrace.

  Was that the moment he started falling in love with me? I doubt it started that long ago, I would’ve noticed.

  We were nearing the school. I could see the school parking lot was only a few minutes away. I felt almost desperate to get away from him, just for a little while. He sped up and the outline of the school became prominent.

  “Are you ignoring me because of last night? Because I kissed you? Look, I didn’t mean to do
that … it just happened,” he said, concern in his voice as he swung into the car park with ease.

  I got out of the car quickly, but not fast enough; he grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

  “Let me go!” I demanded.

  “Not until you talk to me. You’re upset about the kiss, I know. But now you’re laughing and smiling and you won’t tell me why! What is going on, Emilie?” His voice was commanding, but it cracked at the last sentence. I struggled to pull myself out of his grip, he was strong enough to raise a bruise.

  “Nothing is going on! I don’t want to talk about this! Just let me go,” I yelled.

  My voice came out louder than I intended and Soul appeared. Strange, I hadn’t seen him arrive, let alone noticed him watching us.

  “Leave her alone!” Soul punched him in the face. The force of the punch pushed Cael back into the car, dinting the door. Such a shame; the car looked so perfect before.

  I could only look on in fright as Cael quickly wiped away the blood from his busted lip with the back of his hand before tackling Soul to the ground.

  “Why don’t you just back off? You may be able to fool Emilie, but I know what you are,” Cael yelled, attempting a punch but missing.

  As Cael’s fist made contact with the concrete car park with a heavy thump, it caused the loose gravel on the edges to jump. I noticed more carloads of students arriving. Irritation with both of them overwhelmed me. I honestly didn’t care that Soul started the fight, but with more people arriving there was a chance that someone would see. I couldn’t risk that.

  “Knock it off, would you!” I said roughly, kicking Cael in the knee. He got up. Soul followed.

  “Emilie, I was just trying to help. He wasn’t listening to you. He wouldn’t let go,” Soul explained, straightening his clothes.

  I looked over at Cael and noticed deep red blood pulsing from his lip. Gross.

  “Are you okay, Cael? That looks gross.” My voice showed I was still clearly annoyed.

  Cael shrugged, wiping the blood from his mouth. I realised I hadn’t acknowledged what Soul had said. A group of junior girls walked past at that second and Soul watched them, waiting until they were out of earshot before he spoke again.

  “I’m not sorry, Emilie. I shouldn’t have hit him, but I knew he was bothering you and I got angry.” His eyes were fixed on Cael.

  “Fine, but I don’t see why you got angry. This has nothing to do with you.” My tone was biting, but I felt myself smile.

  “You’re smiling again. God, it’s almost like you enjoyed watching us fight … watching me bleed,” Cael muttered.

  How evil did he think I was? Blood is gross. I rolled my eyes, “Don’t be a smart ass. You know I hate the sight of blood.”

  Soul laughed loudly at Cael’s attitude towards me, “You know what, I am sorry I hit you. You’re just pathetic.”

  Cael glared at him. “Fine, Soul. You hurt her, you die. Just be aware of that.” Cael looked at me, and then back to Soul.

  “Why would I hurt her?” Soul said innocently.

  “Don’t play dumb. You know I know what you are,” Cael said, grabbing his books from the roof of our car. “Look after yourself this weekend, Emilie.” He dropped the keys in my hand before blending into the growing crowd of teenagers. I looked down at the concrete of the car park, it was cracked and now had a deep dent. I shook my head. I couldn’t believe Cael though I was the one who was more likely to get us caught. Behaviour like his is the kind that would get us caught out, and quickly.

  “Emilie, I wanted to apologise about the phone call yesterday,” Soul said softly.

  “Don’t worry about it. I knew you wouldn’t tell me anyway,” I turned back around and locked the car.

  “I will tell you. I just didn’t want to tell you over the phone,” Soul spoke quickly, his voice was close behind me. He gently put a hand on my shoulder. “Emilie, did you honestly think I didn’t notice the impact your little friend made on the car park just then?” I hesitated. “Did you honestly think I haven’t known what you are from the moment I met you?”

  His hand remained on my shoulder. It wasn’t threatening, but I was scared. Cael was right; I felt completely defenceless. How did I always manage to get myself into these predicaments?

  “Emilie, I don’t want to hurt you, in fact, I have no intention of doing so.”

  Strangely enough, I believed him. If Soul wanted to kill me he could have done that already.

  “Emilie, please look at me.” I took a deep breath and turned around to look him in his eyes. “I will never let them hurt you. I promise.”

  I nodded and he smiled brightly, his hand still on my shoulder. I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out.

  “What is it?” he said, not breaking eye contact. I had wanted to ask him if he was a demon too. I wanted to know who he worked for. I wanted to know everything, but I couldn’t speak a word. I shook my head, closing my eyes.

  “This cannot happen,” I gasped, pushing his hand from my shoulder, backing away from him. I had let the same thing happen again. I was falling for him and I knew it was going to cost me my life. Dorian flashed through my mind.

  “What do you mean again? What are you talking about, Emilie?” Soul’s voice was filled with curiosity.

  I kept shaking my head, I couldn’t let this happen again; I wouldn’t let this happen again. Before I knew what I was doing, I ran. I ran straight into the bushland surrounding the school. I ran past trees and shrubs that covered the dense land. The earth was dry and made loud crunching noises that echoed around me. I knew I would have to stop at some point, but for now I just wanted to keep going. Eventually I slowed down and stopped under an old paperbark tree. My phone started to ring just seconds later. “No Number” flashed across the screen and my thoughts immediately turned to Dorian. I answered the call, “Dorian?” My voice was soft and breathless. There was silence on the line for a moment.

  “No … It’s Soul. Who’s Dorian? Where are you Emilie? You can’t just run off like that. We need to talk.” Soul was clearly worried.

  I had been so sure that it was Dorian and, shockingly, disappointment flooded through me. “Sorry. I needed to get away,” I said with a nervous laugh.

  “Who is Dorian, Emilie?” Soul asked, ignoring what I said.

  “Don’t worry,” I replied. He didn’t need to know.

  “Fine – if you aren’t going to tell me who Dorian is can you at least tell me where you are.” Soul’s voice had a near-desperate edge.

  “Why should you care where I am?” I whispered.

  “I want to know where you are because I care about you and I don’t want you to get hurt,” Soul replied, matching my tone.

  “Okay,” I mumbled.

  “Will you tell me where you are?” Soul said gently.

  I looked around at my surroundings. Now that was interesting … I had absolutely no idea where I was. My breathing was getting deeper and the sky was darkening overhead. As I watched the sky, it became obvious that it was only darkening immediately above me.

  “Emilie, are you there?” Soul asked.

  “I … I don’t know where I am … there’s something weird going on, Soul.” I backed up against the tree. Common sense told me that in a normal storm you shouldn’t stand near a tree, but this wasn’t a normal storm. Something or someone generated this storm. A loud crack sounded as lightning struck a tree a few feet away and I screamed.

  “What was that?” Soul yelled into the phone.

  “What did you do, Soul? Who did you tell?” I pleaded. The sky was only dark above me. Flashes of lightning lit up the sky seconds before exploding on the ground around me in groups of seven.

  “What? No one! Just Lilith but she wouldn’t do anything to you,” his voice was rushed as he spoke.

  “Who the hell is Lilith?” I screamed.

  Another bolt struck the earth, sending dirt flying out around me.

  “That doesn’t matter! Look, I see the lightning from here, I
’ll be there.” Soul’s voice came across breathless, he was obviously moving fast.

  I turned and saw Soul running towards me. His eyes were fixed on me.

  “Emilie, don’t move!”

  The second he said that, I looked up and froze. I couldn’t even breathe as several bolts of lightning struck the paperbark tree above me. With an ear-splittingly loud crack the tree snapped in half, hitting the ground with a crash, the earth trembling with the aftershock. I slowly turned around. Dark smoke drifted up from the splintered surface of the blackened tree stump. There was a rumble above before rain came pelting down. The thunder and lightning disappeared. I just stood there in silent awe.

  Soul approached me hesitantly. The rain was pouring down so heavily that I couldn’t hear him speak as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

  “Emilie, are you hurt?” Soul was trying to remain calm but he was clearly having trouble.

  I shook my head but remained silent as he spoke again.

  “I don’t know what I’d do if you got hurt,” he sighed.

  I didn’t understand why he was talking like that. It would have been his fault if I got killed. Killed by a tree, that is. Now that would make for an interesting obituary.

  “Who is Lilith?” I asked, pulling myself from my thoughts. “Emilie, you nearly got killed by a tree and that’s the only thing you can say?”

  “Well yes, obviously.”

  He studied me for a moment, a mixture of amusement and surprise on his face.

  “Whatever. Look, we should get back to school before Cael thinks I’ve kidnapped you or something,” Soul laughed loudly, offering his hand.

  My first instinct was to take his hand and walk side by side with him. It seemed the right thing to do. Strangely enough I went with my second instinct. I brushed past him, stepping across the large black dents made by the lightning strikes. I felt Soul’s eyes on me as I walked and, for a moment, I thought he wasn’t following me. I stopped walking and turned around. He wasn’t there so I spun back around and came face to face with him.