“Imbecile. How dare—”
“Enough, Nephele,” Xavier ordered. She shot him a cold sneer.
“Capios,” Erebos said. “Release him. I want you to hunt these blood-drinkers until they are found. Bring them alive and unspoiled.”
They released me. I grabbed my sword and shot up to my feet.
“We want you to come with us,” Erebos said, crossing his arms.
We all had our eyes fixed on him, surprised at his sudden statement.
“You expect us to follow you without a fight?” Xylia asked with a smirk, her eyes focused on Erebos.
He scoffed, looking at Nephele, who still had a death stare on her face.
“There is an army of Nephilins standing outside these walls as we speak. If you hesitate to come with us, we will kill every man, woman, and child that dwells in this village.” Nephele held her head high.
I tightened my hands into fists. “Can you not do your own bidding, Nephele? Must you always bring puppets to do your dirty work for you?”
Her lips went rigid. “A wise warrior never rides out alone, Isaac.” Nephele’s eyes shifted to Sela.
The girl’s tormented screams began once again. She writhed on the ground as blood gushed from her nostrils and ears. The girl fell into a stupor.
“Will you come with us?” Nephele lifted her eyes, looking at us. My companions watched me, waiting for a response.
“We will…” my voice trailed off. The hairs on my neck rose as I caught sight of nine shadows flying across the sky.
“They found us,” Petra mumbled. His face grew pale as he watched the shadows.
“We are doomed, my friend,” Demetre whispered with eyes fixed on the creatures that descended from the sky.
They landed behind Nephele, Xavier, and Erebos. Their dragon-like wings spread to their full length.
Nephele ceased her deadly attack on Sela. Wrinkles appeared at the edges of her eyes as she turned to them.
“Well, this is a very nice surprise,” said Bartholomew with a crooked smile. “I never expected you three to leave the Heart of Elysium.” He let out a cynical laugh.
“You thought we were not strong enough to escape?” asked Xavier, pointing his finger toward him.
Bartholomew pursed his lips. “I just did not think you were wise enough to find a way out.” A cynical smile followed.
“Maybe you’d like us to put you all to sleep again?” asked Dahmian. His green eyes glistened as smoke enveloped his body.
“If you try that trick on us one more time, we will end your miserable lives right here,” Erebos stated with a sneer.
“Do you see that, Erebos?” Nephele leaned her face closer to Erebos’s ear. “They are one short.”
Bartholomew’s face grew cold and emotionless.
“What happened to her? She died?” Nephele shrugged her shoulders as she crossed her hands.
Bartholomew took a deep breath.
“I have not come here to waste my time with you, Nephele.” He cocked his head in my direction. “I am here for them.”
“Then we are going to have a situation on our hands. We are also very interested in having them come with us,” Xavier added.
Bartholomew raised his head. “If you dare try to stop us, I will have my army of Lessers attack this village and kill them all.”
“And if you kill them, who will open the books and bring Lucifer back?” Nephele snapped. “Have you thought about that?”
“We care not if Lucifer remains asleep,” said one without any hair on his head. He was thin. There were dark circles under his midnight eyes. “We only want the Book of Letters.”
“You see.” Xavier raised his right hand. “That is going to be a problem.”
The blood-drinker gave him a scornful stare.
“Ashtar.” Bartholomew turned his piercing red eyes to the bald blood-drinker. “Call our friends, please,” he ordered.
Ashtar pursed his lips, letting out a loud whistle. Deep roars filled the atmosphere. From the sky appeared hundreds of Lessers, flying at great speed. Some of the citizens of the village peeked through their windows, their faces filled with fear.
“Did you not see that we, too, brought our own army?” Erebos tightened his fists. “They are outside of these walls.”
“They stand no chance against the Lessers,” Ashtar said with great confidence.
“I used the Dark Exchange on all of them. A part of my mind is inside each Lesser,” Erebos declared. “They will obey me.”
Bartholomew gave him a half-hearted smile.
“To your disappointment, Erebos, I have shielded their minds.” His tongue caressed the tip of his fangs as he curved the edge of his lips. “They will obey only us.”
For the first time, I saw fear on Nephele’s face. Xavier stared at the blood-drinkers.
Adara shuddered at the sight of the Lessers hovering above us. They waited for a single command from their masters to begin their attack. Drool trickled down their human-like necks.
“We must flee from here the moment the attack begins,” Devin whispered, keeping his eyes focused on our enemies. “We must wait until they are distracted.”
I looked at him. “Who is to say they won’t come after us once they see us running?” Devin’s lips tightened into a thin line. “We have no choice,” I said. “We must fight.”
Nephele’s body disintegrated into a shadow, darting toward the sky.
“Attack them!” Bartholomew shouted.
The Lessers descended from the sky at full speed. At the same time, booming war chants echoed around us. Winged Nephilins crowded the sky, making their way toward the Lessers while others climbed the walls of the village.
I watched in horror as the Nephilins broke down the doors of the houses, dragging the families out into the streets. They pinned them to the ground, sinking their swords and daggers into their chests.
“We must run, Isaac.” Demetre clasped my arm. “Nephele and the others will come for us.”
Though I wanted to help all of them, I knew we did not stand a chance against them alone. I looked over my shoulder and realized that both Xavier and Erebos had disappeared. Nephele fluttered her wings as she fought in the air, using her dark powers to strike the Lessers. The screams of the people echoed amidst the explosions and clanging of swords.
“Head for the trees!” Devin shouted.
As I followed my companions, a sharp pain stung my right arm. I turned to see what had inflicted such torment upon me. My eyes narrowed when I saw that a Lesser had sunk its nails beneath my skin.
My hands grasped the Lesser’s skeletal arm, tossing its body in the direction of the house. As the creature soared, it clung to my arms, dragging me along. I heard the bones of my back crack as my body thudded in the middle of the living room. I crawled on the floor, trying to reach for my sword. The Lesser’s hand tightened around my shoulder, pulling me away from my blade. Drops of its saliva dripped on my face as it held me down with its arms. The hairs on my arms rose while the scales on its body rubbed against my skin. I placed my forearm beneath its neck as it stooped its head down, trying to sink its teeth into my skull.
The Lesser let out a hair-raising screech as I shot my knee against its rib cage. It withdrew its hands, giving me the opportunity to reach for my sword.
My fingers tightened around my sword’s cold grip. With my gaze set on the Lesser, I sank my blade in its side.
The Lesser drew its upper lip back and growled, falling on its side. I shot up to my feet, looked down at the creature, and struck its skull. Its screeches turned to gurgles as a puddle of blood surrounded its body.
I turned away from the creature, heading toward the door. I urgently sought my companions.
The pungent odor of burnt bodies filled the air, bringing tears to my eyes. The houses of the village were diminished to cinder and ash. Smoke billowed from the burnt bodies that were scattered around me.
My eyes widened when I saw Sela’s headless body lying on the ground. One of the blood-drinkers drank from the blood that oozed out of her wounds. With his tongue over his chin, the blood-drinker licked the ground around the girl. He was dressed in rugged clothing and boots up to his knees. His dark wool cloak was smothered in blood.
“You enjoy killing things?” I screamed, raising my sword above my head. “Then why don’t you try to kill me?”
His blue eyes were fixed on me. His dark tangled hair cascaded down his neck. He gave me a menacing smile, showing me his fangs. He wagged his wings, darting his way into the sky.
I was prepared to go after him when I saw my mother and father strolling out of the house.
For a brief second, I watched them.
“Dad!” With great joy, I sprinted my way to them. “Mom!”
I came to a sudden halt. A glazed white mist covered their eyes. With their jaws open, they aimlessly ambled around, their arms dangling in front of their bodies.
“Mom…” I whispered. Her head tilted my way. She let out a single groan, walking away.
She does not know who I am
, I thought, keeping my eyes on her.
“Dad…” I ran to my father. “It’s me,” I said, expecting that he would say something. His eyes remained fixed on the war that raged around us.
I looked at my mom and back at my dad.
“It is me,” I repeated. “Your son, Isaac.”
No words came from them.
My cheeks trembled as tears filled my eyes.
I reached for my father’s face, touching it with my fingertips. His skin was ice-cold.
“You are not in there, are you?” I tasted my tears as they touched my lips. “You are gone.”
No pain from my past could compare to this. Hope had already become a distant feeling, and now it was nothing more than a vague memory.
“All the kingdoms of the world will be covered in shadow,” my father said in a dark voice. “The reign of Lucifer will expand.”
“Foolish are those that have not yet bowed before him,” my mother added. Their faces were void of any emotion or desire.
“Such words are not being spoken by you.” I used my wrist to wipe my tears. My father lifted his eyes to the sky. I heard him hum a melody, which turned into a song.
“Darker days, moonless nights
A reign of fire will consume every desire
Cries and moans will resound as songs
Fear not the dark, flee from the light”
My chest rose as I breathed in the frigid air. I knew my parents would never have sided with Lucifer. They had done much to protect us all. The words they spoke did not belong to them. Now I understood what Nephele had meant when she’d said they had given them a gift.
“All the kingdoms of the world will be covered in shadow,” my father repeated. “The reign of Lucifer will expand.”
I rested my hand on my father’s shoulder, looking deep into his eyes.
“At least I got to look at your faces one last time.” I pressed my eyelids together. The sound of my blade piercing my father’s chest was excruciating. I felt his blood trail down my hands, dripping down my arms and onto my feet. When my eyes opened, I caught sight of his pale face. His body wobbled as his eyes rolled in the back of his head. I placed my arm behind his back, laying him on the snow.
As quick as a breath, I turned to face my mother. A waterfall of tears ran down my face. I bore my eyes into hers.
“Lucifer will reign,” she uttered in a raspy voice. “His kingdom will expand—”
Her words turned to groans. My sword penetrated her chest, striking her heart. I turned away as I removed the blade; her body thudded on the ground.
I screamed. I did not care who listened. Though a battle raged around me, the war within my heart was much more difficult to fight now. I fell on my knees, sinking the tip of my sword in the snow.
For a moment, Lucifer and all the other dark forces did not matter. I stared at my parents’ bodies.
“Isaac.” I glanced over my shoulder and saw Demetre and Xylia sprinting in my direction. They were a few feet away from me when a dark shadow hurled their bodies against an old tree. The shadow assumed the shape of a male figure.
“I have to say, that was a very brave thing you just did.” The shadow turned into Erebos.
Though I wanted to help my friends, I could not find any strength within me. Demetre struggled to help Xylia stand. His watchful eyes were set on me.
“Isaac!” he cried.
I turned my head, staring at my blood-covered sword while Erebos approached me.
“Though none of you can be killed yet,” he said in a spiteful tone, “you can certainly be harmed.”
Vivid memories of my childhood flooded my mind. For a moment, I could see their faces smiling at me. I recalled the sound of my mother’s laughter when we went fishing, and my father’s awkward advice about life.
Give me death,
I thought.
“I have a secret to share with you,” Erebos continued, standing inches away from me. “It was I who cursed your parents.” My eyes shot in his direction. “I was the one who used the Dark Exchange on them and ripped from them all memory and emotion.”
My previous thought was erased from my mind. I clasped the snow beneath my hands. My chin quivered as anger overcame my sorrow.
He laughed. “Your mother begged me to stop while your father squealed like a dying pig.”