Rise of the Fallen Read online

  My heart was racing and I glanced up at Cael.

  “Emilie, what is he saying?” Cael asked.

  I shook my head, “Please don’t do this, Soul.” He was silent for a moment. “I have no choice. Lilith makes the rules and I have no choice but to follow them. I’ll do my best to protect you, Emilie, but that can only go so far.”

  “Why would you want to protect me?” I asked. “You told me you had no reason to protect me anymore.”

  Soul sighed loudly. “I didn’t mean it, Emilie! I was angry; I said things I didn’t mean.”

  A quiet “okay” left my lips, almost without sound.

  “I suppose this is it then. You have an hour … Don’t make us do this, Emilie,” Soul warned before ending the call.

  I nearly dropped the phone as I placed it back into my jacket pocket.

  “What did he say, Emilie?” Cael asked, his voice flat and emotionless.

  “We have an hour to ring him back to tell him we’ve changed our minds or they’ll be here and they will kill you … They said Holly works for other demons too …” I said.

  Cael shook his head. “They’re lying, Emilie. Holly isn’t evil, she’s the victim. And as for them coming … Let them, I’ll be waiting.”

  I looked at him in disbelief. It was pointless trying to argue, so I stayed quiet. I didn’t want him to get hurt, but I didn’t want to stay either. I suppose that was what Lilith was banking on. The natural light was dim and waning, and in an instant the fluorescent lamps lit up the park in a bright, yellow-white light. It amazed me how even the artificial lighting had changed over the years and now seemed even more beautiful than the stars. I looked down at myself. I was barefoot and my dress was creased. I looked like hell.

  “Don’t stress, Emilie. Everything will be fine, alright?” Cael asked, walking over and hugging me tightly.

  “Yeah, I’m not worried,” I lied.

  It was easier to lie to him than to explain every doubt and thought that was going through my mind. Having already seen the Emriahls, I had a terrible feeling that this was not going to end well. I doubted that Cael would be the casualty today – it would be me, but I wasn’t going to risk his life. I had been so sure that my time hadn’t come yet, but now I didn’t know what to think. I had no intention of fighting back, so I drew the conclusion that Soul would kill me the instant he arrived. He said he wasn’t angry, but I didn’t know whether to believe him. Common sense would say he was lying in an effort to calm me down … but I had no idea what to believe.

  Everything I’d ever done seemed pointless. They were on their way; I was a little unsure who Soul meant by “we”. When Cael turned and walked away towards another bench I reached for my phone. I stepped behind a rather large tree and dialled Soul’s number. It rang once before he answered.

  “You’re staying?” Soul said, his voice honestly sounded happy.

  I took a deep breath. “No … I just … I wanted to know who would be coming …”

  Soul sighed. “It will be Dorian, Andre, Lilith and myself.”

  “Who is Andre?”

  “He’s an upper-level shapeshifting demon,” Soul said.

  “Oh …” I replied quietly.

  “Why aren’t you staying, Emilie?” he asked curiously.

  “We’ve been through this before, Soul. Cael won’t let me, and I don’t want to. I don’t want Cael to get hurt … Or me either, but I don’t have much choice,” I whispered.

  “But Lilith … She’s going to be there, do you not understand what that means? No one but a select few have ever seen her. You have to understand how important it is to her that you stay.”

  “I have to go … Bye,” I said, hearing Cael approaching on the soft grass.

  I hung up before Soul could argue the point any further. I was terrified; I was sure that I was going to die.

  “Emilie, I’m going to get Holly, I won’t be long. Just stay here so I know where to find you when I get back.” Cael squeezed my hand then walked away towards the river.

  He hesitated at the riverbank, before turning back to me, smiling. He took a step and disappeared instantly. I looked up at the moon in the dimming light of the sky. It was unusual to see the moon this early, especially at this time of the year. I sat down on a faded wooden bench, which was in front of a tall paperbark tree. The park was silent and now that it was dark, the temperature had dropped by several degrees.

  The darkness and coolness could work in Cael’s favour though – we might be able to get away before anything happened. But I knew it wasn’t in Cael’s nature to walk away from a fight. I made up my mind: I wasn’t going to let Cael get hurt for me, not again.

  I turned my phone over in my hands, deciding whether to call Soul or not. I wanted out, of everything. I wanted nothing to do with Lilith, Samael or anyone else for that matter. It felt like an eternal struggle and I doubted that there was even a good side left. Everything had gone bad, there were demons everywhere and they controlled everything, even the way the world went round.

  I tried to remember a time where there was good in my world, but I’m sure I was born at least a century too late. My earliest memory was being taken at a young age to the underworld by a lower-level demon. The lower-level demons were the cruellest, and the most sadistic. The horrors that I saw as their prisoner will stick with me for as long as I live. There was absolutely nothing good left in the world. It must have died out centuries ago, and no one seemed to care.

  I looked up at the sky and smiled in awe as hundreds of thousands of sparkling silver stars lit up the park in an aura of white light. It was beautiful. I sat looking around in sheer amazement.

  “Beautiful, isn’t it?” Soul’s voice made me jump; he sat down beside me.

  “What are you doing here? You said I had an hour …

  ” I cried. He forced a smile. “That’s not why I’m here. Oh, and it’s actually more like half an hour now …” his voice trailed off as he stared up at the night sky.

  I watched him and felt a sigh of relief escape my lips.

  “What are you here for then, Soul?” I fought to keep my voice polite and calm.

  He smiled and looked down at me. “I was just wondering if you wanted to change your mind; about leaving me and going with Cael.”

  “I don’t want him to get hurt …”

  “But you don’t want to be with me either.” Soul finished my sentence, looking away.

  I leaned towards him and tapped his arm. He turned and looked at me questioningly.

  “I don’t know what I want, but I know I don’t want to be the property of Lilith.”

  “You know, I’m only working with Lilith for now … Once I gain more power I’ll branch out, I wouldn’t have to stay with Lilith forever.” He looked at me with an expression of slight amusement.

  He was trying to make me reconsider being with him, but I knew that would never happen.

  “You’ve killed innocent people and I can’t pretend that you haven’t. I know you’ll do it again, it’s in your nature …” I said.

  The last thing I wanted to do was hurt Soul. I did care for him, but I could never trust him as a demon, or as a boyfriend.

  “You’re wrong …” he said softly.

  Our eyes met and he stared at me intently, searching for something. His dark hair fell into his eyes and he looked away.

  “I should go …” Soul said, smiling weakly at me and standing up.

  I stared up at him, not uttering a word.

  “I’ll do everything in my power to make sure you don’t get hurt, Emilie.” He reached down and kissed my hand then disappeared abruptly.

  I sat in silence and darkness until Cael approached with Holly by his side. Holly stared at me from under her dark eyelashes. Cael gestured for her to sit beside me. Cael was silent until he noticed my mobile phone in my hands.

  “Did someone call?” he asked, as Holly stared at me.

  I shook my head. Holly rolled her eyes and Cael frowned in disbelief bu
t remained quiet. My phone beeped loudly as a new message popped up. Both Holly and Cael stared at me as I opened the message. It was from Soul.

  15 mins. It’s not 2 late. Don’t make us do this Em.

  Holly looked over my shoulder at the message. I instinctively shifted away from her. She rolled her eyes and muttered, “Whatever.” It was so full of attitude that I wanted to slap her. I had never actually felt that before with anyone, except her. That was definitely a first.

  “What does it say?” Cael asked.

  I handed him the phone and as he read the message he scoffed, “Let them come, I don’t care. We’ll be gone before they get here. Speaking of leaving, where to: Melbourne or Perth?”

  “Melbourne …” Holly said instantly. “I’ve always wanted to go to there, I like the colder climate.”

  Cael chuckled. “Is that okay with you, Emilie?”

  I knew that we wouldn’t be going to Melbourne; we wouldn’t be gone before they got here and even if we did leave they would find us. I nodded anyway.

  “Excellent. Melbourne it is,” Cael announced in an overconfident tone.

  Holly grinned and brushed her hair behind her ear, staring at me again. It was beginning to irritate me, the way she stared at me. I didn’t trust her at all and I didn’t like her being so clingy with me. It wouldn’t bother me if Holly was clinging to Cael. If he trusted her, well that was his business, but if I was brought into it, I had a problem.

  “When do we leave, Cael?” Holly asked somewhat more cheerfully than usual.

  Cael smiled, “In a few minutes, I just need to focus on Melbourne so we’ll get there in one piece.”

  Holly sat smiling brightly. I looked through the settings on my phone and set it on vibrate before putting it back in my pocket. I leaned forward and put my face in my hands. This wasn’t going to happen … not because of me … I couldn’t let this happen. We still had a while to go yet and I could try and make Cael leave without me … That was the only way I could think of protecting him. I couldn’t care less about Holly. I know that sounds terrible, but if what Soul said was true, it was too late for her. My phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out and there was another message from Soul. My heart stopped. I dropped the phone as I read the message, the force of the fall breaking it instantly.

  Lilith changed her mind. We’re coming now. I’m sorry.

  Cael turned to me in confusion. “What’s wrong?”

  “You have to go. Now. Please just go!” I shouted.

  Cael was stunned, disbelief plastered on his face. “You’re coming with me, Emilie. I’m not leaving without you.”

  “She’s not going anywhere,” Dorian’s voice interrupted him. He shoved Cael away.

  Cael hit the ground with such a force that the grass was uprooted, but he got up instantly, took a swing at Dorian, and missed. Dorian grabbed Cael’s arm and twisted it around behind his back. Cael yelled out and I saw Soul running up to us, followed by a tall, tanned man who I took to be Andre. Holly rose from the bench and three vines covered in deadly flowers burst out from the ground and surrounded her in a protective shield. I stumbled backwards.

  “No! Stop!” I screamed, my voice breaking.

  “Don’t fight, Emilie, you know he won’t leave without you,” Dorian shook his head, “And I’m afraid you just can’t leave.”

  Andre approached Cael and jerked him back by his hair, pulling his head back so far that I heard his neck clicking from the strain. All the while Cael was shouting profanities. Soul watched, moving closer to me, holding his hand up, telling me to leave it.

  “Let him go, Dorian,” I yelled, taking a step forward. I couldn’t let this happen. I fully ignored Holly who wasn’t all that concerned with what was happening with Cael – even more reason to dislike her.

  When Andre shoved Cael to the ground, he jumped straight back up and punched Dorian in the jaw. Dorian fell back but there was no blood from the strike. Andre punched Cael in the stomach and he fell back down, gasping for air. My screams remained unheard as the demons continued to beat Cael. Blood fell like rain from Cael’s face as he tried to fight back, but he was outnumbered. I rushed forward but Soul grabbed me and pulled me back.

  “I’m not going to let you get hurt too, Emilie,” Soul whispered angrily in my ear.

  “I can’t let him die!” I struggled against his grip.

  “It’s his own fault. Just let him go.”

  “NO!”

  Flames erupted around me in an explosion and Soul fell back onto the ground from the force of it. Dorian and Andre stumbled backwards and Cael collapsed almost lifelessly to the ground. I rushed forward and pulled him to his feet. He was weak and I struggled to support his weight in my arms.

  “I’m sorry, Cael,” I breathed.

  “Don’t …” Cael said in a voice that was unnaturally soft.

  Andre was the first to regain his footing. He started walking towards me. “Let him go,” Andre growled, a heavy Italian accent barely audible.

  I felt the flames overwhelm me once more. This time they encircled Andre. Andre writhed in pain as his skin caught alight.

  I dragged Cael further away as a thick wall of flames blocked Dorian and Soul from getting closer. Cael gasped for breath.

  “Emilie, I need you to do something for me,” he said in a hushed tone, staring at the flames.

  “Anything,” I said.

  Dorian was shouting something at Soul over the loud crackling of the fire. I could only just make out their shadows through the dark smoke and the glow of the flames.

  Cael’s eyes met mine. “You were right, Emilie, they aren’t going to let me leave if you’re with me,” Cael said. His voice was pained. He looked away from me as though he were ashamed.

  I shook my head. “Why are you saying that?”

  He brought a hand up to cover his eyes, and ran it through his hair. “I’m going to find the angels, Emilie, and then I will come for you.”

  I froze. “You’re leaving me? You don’t know what they want from me!”

  “You are more powerful than you think. You can do this, look how strong that fire is!” Cael’s voice broke and he reached up taking my face in his hands. He leaned in until our lips were almost touching, his cold breath on my skin made me shiver. “Don’t forget who and what you are.”

  He pulled away, dropping his hands from my face. I honestly thought he was going to close the small gap between us and kiss me; part of me wanted him to.

  The fire waned slightly and I could make out Lilith’s shape moving closer, her voice getting louder.

  “Keep them behind the fire. I need to get to the water,” Cael said over his shoulder.

  I watched him stumble towards the river. The bright orange flames dulled even further as he disappeared into the water. The instant he was gone, the flames were gone; I couldn’t focus on my powers. I fell to the ground beside Andre. I sobbed loudly as tears fell down my face. Cael had abandoned me. He was gone and it was my fault.

  In the background I heard Dorian’s voice. “He’s gone, Lilith, and the earth elemental is over there.”

  Through a blur of tears I saw Lilith walking slowly towards Holly who lashed out at her with vines of deadly flowers. Outside of the mirrors Lilith looked more threatening and alluring than any human could ever naturally be. She held up her hand, deflecting the vines, each falling dead to the ground. Holly’s breathing quickened as she attempted another attack. Lilith pulled Holly from her protective shield and raised her off the ground with the sweep of a hand, though she didn’t touch her at all.

  Holly was choking. Lilith smiled and with another small movement of her hand a white light appeared around Holly’s head. Holly began to scream out in pain as her slightly rounded face began to freeze over, as though it were changing into glass. Lilith continued smiling as Holly’s entire body froze into a reflective glass statue. Lilith turned to me, her cold eyes piercing, and with a flick of her wrist she broke Holly into a million tiny pieces. Lilith’s
black eyes were full of amusement and accomplishment.

  “Don’t cry over it. He was holding you back.” Her cold voice was full of superiority. “You have no idea how powerful you could be. Trust me …” I couldn’t hide my disgust.

  “Well, elemental … you don’t have much choice but to join us now. Dorian, pick her up.” Lilith said, walking away into the darkness.

  Without a second thought I jumped up and ran, ignoring Soul’s plea to stop. Running through the darkness, I knew I could rely only on my memories to guide my way. I stumbled over a large rock and landed on the palms of my hands, wincing as I felt gravel pierce my skin. I jumped up instantly, running again, paying no notice to the small drops of blood on my hands.

  I stumbled again, nearly running into the large trees that speckled the empty park. I couldn’t see my own hands right in front of me. I couldn’t even see the ground in front of me, let alone know where the riverbank began. I knew I would have to stop eventually but fear kept me going.

  It was the thought of stopping that had me so afraid –the fear that if I stopped they would get me. I couldn’t let that happen, or everything Cael had fought for would be meaningless.

  The darkness stretched on and I felt as though I had been running for an eternity. I was beginning to slow down out of sheer exhaustion, when my foot caught on something in the shadows. I hit the ground hard and yelled out in pain. My scream echoed across the empty and silent park. I slammed my hand over my mouth. I remained completely still for at least five minutes before turning to see what I had tripped over.

  A long branch that had fallen from the towering trees above lay in my path. I crawled in silence, pulling myself away from the branch. I checked if I had any serious wounds and dusted myself off as best I could before walking on.

  The small, yellow light of a torch shone through the shadows of the park. They had heard me. I walked quickly, hoping to be soon in full view of the old dirt track. I hadn’t moved more than a few metres before a hand clasped my mouth, forcing me to the ground.