Authors: Brea Essex
I hoped sincerely I was the former… although the idea of being a devil was intriguing. Devils were strong, powerful. They lived in a dimension all their own, yet some were still able to walk the earth. But they were made out to be the bad guys. I didn’t want to be a bad guy… did I?
I felt like there were gaps in my memory. I called Raena crazy, but maybe she was right. Maybe I should go and try to talk to her. Not that I would want to talk to me, if I were her—not after the way I had treated her. Something was definitely strange. I felt off, like I wasn’t myself. Maybe I should try talking to the priest again. Perhaps threatening him had been the wrong idea. He had said he wanted to help. Maybe I should take him up on his offer.
“Logan?” a voice called from the door.
I whirled, standing as I turned. “Sera!” In my intense focus on the books and my computer, I hadn’t heard her come in. I thought she had left a while ago. What was she doing back?
“What’s going on?” she asked, gesturing at the wings flaring out from between my shoulder blades.
“I-I don’t know. Just come in and close the door, would you? I don’t want my parents hearing.”
She complied, entering my room and closing the door behind her. She stood leaning up against it, her arms folded behind her back. “When did this happen?”
Should I tell her? Should I make her leave? She was my girlfriend. I needed to trust her, right? “About an hour ago, but this wasn’t the first time. It happened once before. I think the other day? I don’t know… everything’s kind of a blur. I’ve been researching, trying to figure out what’s happening to me, what I am.” I gestured at all the books and notes spread haphazardly across my room. “Maybe I should go back to the priest?”
“The priest?” Her voice held a warning note, but I ignored it.
“Yes, the priest at this Catholic church in Capitola. He seemed to recognize me, although I can’t imagine why. I don’t go to church and I don’t think I’ve seen him before.”
“So you went to him instead of coming to me.”
It wasn’t a question. “I didn’t know what you would think.”
“Logie, you can always come to me. I’m the only one you can trust.”
“What?” I started to protest, but she placed a finger softly against my lips, shushing me.
“What did this priest have to say to you?”
“Nothing,” I mumbled, my lips still held partly closed by her finger. She removed it. “We fought. I don’t know what came over me. He wouldn’t give me answers, but told me to come back if I wanted help. What help? Help with figuring out what I am? Do you think I should go back to him and be nicer this time?”
“I think you should sit there like a good boy and do what Serafina tells you.”
“Huh?” Why was she acting so weird?
“
Shhuck dek kelen jurs peskl...
”
For some reason, I almost understood the language. “Sleep, oh waker, and rise…”
“
Mjolk faj ritl wug dek shhucken.
”
I knew nothing more as she finished her chant. As my consciousness slipped into a black void, I wondered in the back of my head if I would remember anything upon waking.
****
Andrei
“Well, Andrei… I hear that my eldest son has turned traitor,” the queen informed me.
I tried not to show any external reaction. The slightest tick would give me away. Now was the time to do what I had learned so well — lie. “Are you speaking of me, My Lady?”
Her icy stare bore into me. “Of course. You are my eldest son, are you not? I am certainly not speaking of Logan. No, I am quite satisfied with Logan’s progress at the moment. You, however, are an extreme disappointment. What do you have to say for yourself, Abaddon?”
I cringed inwardly. She was calling me by my true name. That was a bad sign. “I have no idea what you speak of.”
She slammed her fist down on the throne, half rising out of her seat. “Address me properly! You may be my son, but I demand some respect.”
“I have no idea what you speak of, Queen Asura.”
Settling back into her seat, she said, “That’s much better. Now, you and I both know that is a blatant lie. Have you not sided with the half-breed?”
I bristled. I felt my eyes begin to heat. The smirk on my mother’s face showed that she noticed. I reined my emotions under control and the fire flaring in me began to cool. “If you speak of the Nephilim girl, I have only done what is necessary to bring her to our side.”
Her fingers drummed a staccato rhythm against the aged wood of her throne. “It is not necessary that the halfling be on our side anymore.”
“I thought we needed her blood to open the gate to Heaven?”
“We do. But her coercion is no longer needed.”
“May I ask why, my Queen?”
She offered me an evil looking leer. “Because Serafina has succeeded in bringing your brother over to our side. The little trollop half-breed has a thing for Logan. He can bring her to us… by force if necessary.”
Was that true? I knew the spell cast on Logan, the one I had ordered Serafina to cast, had brought out his devil side. His angel side was dormant, overshadowed by the now-dominant devil. I regretted ever taking my mother’s orders. I never should have put Rae through this. I really had no ties to Logan. We had grown up together before my mother had banished him to Earth, but we had never been close. The shining angel boy had been my antithesis. He was dazzling even in the dark, dreary wasteland that was the Shadow Imperium. He reminded me of home, of Heaven… and I hated him for it. He had always been everything I wanted to be. If only I hadn’t made the decision to side with my mother and the Morningstar in the first place.
If I had stayed loyal to the Creator, then I would still be in Heaven now, rather than in Hell. Granted, I wasn’t in the true Hell — that was reserved for the Morningstar and his generals, the ones who had led the attack against the Creator. I still wondered how my mother had managed to end up in the Shadow Imperium rather than Hell itself. You would think being the daughter of the Morningstar was enough to get her a one-way ticket to his new domain. I sincerely wished I wasn’t stuck here in the Shadow Imperium plane. At least I still had the opportunity to escape to Earth whenever I wanted. I did it often, even though I had to hide from the avenging angels every time I did. If they caught me, I would be stripped of my wings, and therefore, my powers…then I would be stuck here with her… forever.
Asura’s voice broke into my thoughts. “So will you leave the halfling to your brother?”
“Of course, my Lady.” I bowed formally, hand in a fist over my heart as was our tradition. “Will that be all?”
“No, that’s not all. There’s still the small matter of your supposed treachery. You haven’t given me an answer. What do you have to say for yourself?”
Oh great. Time to lie some more. “No treachery, my Queen. I was simply trying to make sure our mission was carried out correctly. Now that you have placed the girl in Logan’s hands, I can see I am no longer needed.” Hopefully that would pacify her.
“Very odd,” she mused. “I heard a different story.”
“From whom, Your Majesty?”
She crooked a finger and beckoned toward the shadows. A figured separated itself and stepped into the questionable light of the throne room. A small hiss escaped unbidden from my mouth when I saw who it was. I sent up a brief prayer to the Creator, if He even listened to such as me anymore. My very existence might depend upon whether Asura had heard the almost inaudible noise or not.
Serafina bowed to my mother, practically groveling on the floor. “You summoned me, oh most glorious Majesty?”
Wow. She was sickening. Logan must have to be pretty deep under the spell to put up with her. I had had little interaction with Serafina, despite the fact that she had been one of my subordinates. I had largely ignored her… until now.
“Yes, Serafina. I asked you here today to recount the story that you told me yesterday. The story of my son’s… redemption.”
This was not good. Had she seen something? I had checked around the church carefully when Rae and I had exited. There had been no sign of the witch anywhere. I needed to speak up before she began her story.
“Redemption?” I scoffed. “Please, my Queen. The girl has told you nothing but lies.”
Asura arched one slim brow. “You have not turned your back on your grandfather, the Morningstar, or me? You have not taken the side of,” here she shuddered, “the Creator?”
“No, I have not. There is no need for the witch to tell her story, is there?”
She sat silent for a moment. “No, I suppose not.” She turned to Serafina. “Tell me, girl… why have you lied to me?”
“I have not, Your Majesty!” Serafina swore. “Lord Andrei lies!” She turned accusing eyes on me. “Andrei, tell her the truth. Don’t make me take your punishment. You’re the one who sent me on this mission in the first place.”
“That I did, Serafina. And you’ve done a wonderful job, except for that brief moment when you lost control of Logan and the halfling was able to heal him.”
“It wasn’t my fault. The girl is stronger than we all realize.”
I carefully arranged my face into an uncaring mask, although I was grinning on the inside at her unknown compliment to Rae. “Then you must take your punishment and return to Logan’s side. You must make sure the girl cannot loosen your hold again.”
I turned back to my mother. “My Queen, if we are done here?”
She waved a hand through the air. “Yes, yes, you’re dismissed. As for you, Serafina...”
I exited the throne room to the sound of Serafina’s screams.
Raena
“It’s ready,” Ismene’s voice came over the phone.
“I’ll be right there.”
I rushed down to the shop. It hadn’t opened yet, and we were the only ones there.
“Here it is.”
“So, what’s in it?” I asked as I peered at the glass vial Ismene held in her hand.
“A special type of leaves. I’m going to make a tea out of them. Then you just have to convince Logan to drink the tea.”
“Well, that’s easier said than done. What makes you think he’ll do anything I ask?”
“You must get him here if you want to help him.”
I sighed. “I’ll try my best. But how are we going to bring him back once he’s dead?”
She held up another glass container filled with some dark powdery substance. “Charcoal.”
“Really? That will work?”
“Yes, combined with your healing magic.”
“Are you sure?”
“Trust me.”
I hesitated. I couldn’t handle the thought of killing Logan, even temporarily. “What if the charcoal doesn’t work? What if my magic doesn’t work? Why can’t I just use my abilities directly on him? It worked before.”
“Until we stop his heart, the witch still holds power over him. This is the only way to permanently break the spell.”
“All right. I’ll go find him.” I started to exit the shop. I paused in the doorway and turned back to her. “You’re positive this is the only way?”
“Yes.”
I walked slowly back to my car, wondering how I was going to find Logan. I didn’t think just showing up at his house would be a good idea. His parents would wonder why I was there. I really needed to catch him alone. That was practically impossible these days. Sera was always with him wherever he went. I was going to have to turn into the stalker he’d previously accused me to be, I decided. I’d park my car across the street from his house and wait until his parents left.
Taking my phone out of my purse, I called Nuada. “I’m coming to get you at home. Be ready.” I hung up before she could respond and dialed Andrei. “Meet me at the park.”
I headed home to get Nuada. She was waiting around the corner from the house by the school. “I didn’t want your family to see me in human form, waiting for you,” she said as she climbed into my car.
“Totally understandable. That’s something we don’t have time to explain right now.”
“What’s going on?”
I drove down the street to the park. Andrei was already waiting. “I’ll tell you both in a second.” We both got out of the car. “How’d you get here so fast?” I asked Andrei.
“I flew.” He looked from me to Nuada. “So, what’s happening?”
“Ismene has the potion ready to break the spell.”
“We’re sure it’s going to work?”
“Yes. We need to go get Logan somehow.”
“I still don’t trust her. I can come up with a solution if you give me a little longer,” Nuada said.
“Sorry, Nuada. I don’t know how much more time we have. I’m ready to have him back.”
“So, how are we going to get him?” she asked.
Andrei answered for me. “By force, if necessary.”
We all climbed into my car. My mind raced as we drove out to his house in Rio Del Mar. What if it didn’t work? What if the spell wasn’t broken? Or, what if it worked
too
well and killed him permanently? I didn’t like this, at all, but it seemed to be the best solution. The priest hadn’t been able to give me an answer I liked.
I parked across the street from his house. We sat and waited until his parents finally left, sliding down in the seats as they drove past. I watched them disappear around the corner. I waited a couple of minutes to make sure they didn’t return, then I jumped out of my car and ran to the front door. Andrei and Nuada waited in the car to see if I needed help.
I pounded on the door until Logan answered. He leaned against the frame. “So, couldn’t stay away from me, could you?”
“You have to come with me right now.”
“Give me one good reason.”
“I can’t. Look, you trusted me once, can you trust me again?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I’m intrigued. I’ll go with you. It’s not like I had plans today.” He stepped out and closed the door behind me.
“What are they doing here?” he asked when he saw Andrei and Nuada in the backseat.
“Doesn’t matter. Just get in.”
We got in the car and I drove toward Ismene’s shop. We needed to do this before the shop opened.
When we reached the shop, Ismene was waiting. “Where are we?” Logan asked.
“Take him into the back room,” Ismene ordered.