Rise of the Fallen (24 page)

“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 competition 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.