Rise of the Fallen (6 page)

“Wow, your powers are stronger than we ever thought possible,” Soul stared in disbelief.

His arms were around me and in reflex, I froze.

“Ouch, rejection,” he laughed.

I turned around to face him.

“I can't believe I destroyed everything. How could I have been so stupid?”

He smiled, “You weren't stupid. But why did you decide to use your powers?”

I looked down for a moment before answering, “I wanted to make sure I was strong enough to … defend myself.”

He held back a laugh. “From who? Me?”

“No, not you actually. Someone else.”

That seemed to make him even more curious. “Oh, really? Who is this mysterious person who you think you need to defend yourself from?”

I contemplated telling him and, going against my better instincts that told me not to, I did. “Dorian.”

“Dorian as in the upper-level-demon-who-works-for-the-Angelof-Death Dorian?” Soul said incredulously.

How did Soul know about Dorian? “Yeah. Why?”

Soul shook his head, “Well, you're right to want to protect yourself from him. He's a complete nutcase.”

“How do you know him?”

Soul shifted nervously. “Never you mind, Emilie. Now if you don't mind, I think we should leave. I, unlike you, am not an elemental and I cannot bear this heat.”

I nodded and went to move, but he stopped me.

“Travel with me. It's faster,” Soul said.

We disappeared in a shimmer of dark grey smoke. Soul was right, of course. It only took a few seconds and we were in what I assumed to be his house. It was big and spacious. It looked like a mansion, with off-white walls, large windows with burgundy curtains, and a white marble floor. Somehow I had never pictured where Soul lived, but even if I had this would not be what I'd have expected. The ceiling was very high and seemed like something you would find in a museum of some sort, with engravings along the edges. Soul's arm fell from around me. I spun around, but he wasn't there.

“Relax. I'm still here.”

I turned again and saw him standing on the steps of a large marble staircase that seemed to take up the entire wall. He was leaning against the banister, looking down at me with a playful smirk on his face.

“What?” I asked, blushing.

“Oh nothing. Come on, follow me. I'll show you around.” His voice was full of tease.

When I didn't move, he came over and pulled me by my wrist towards the stairs. We moved rather quickly as he showed me all the typical rooms: lounge, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. However, when we reached the end of the hallway there was a large black door with burgundy engravings around the frame. The golden doorknob and lock glimmered in the light from the crystal chandeliers.

“What's that room?” I asked as I stared in curiosity at the door.

He followed my gaze. “Nothing,” he said, pulling at my arm. “I had a room set up for you, would you like to see it?”

“So then you were certain that I would join you?” I said.

He laughed and nodded, “I knew you would.”

Soul held my hand as we walked in the direction of another flight of stairs. This staircase was different to the others; it spiralled upwards into darkness. It made sense that he wouldn't keep the lights on when
he wasn't at home. The steps were black metal with a burgundy carpet that covered all but the edges. I held onto the railing tightly as Soul led me up.

We climbed in silence. A few times he turned and looked back down the stairs before pulling me along faster. When we reached the top he paused and bent down to kiss me on my forehead. He dropped my hand and walked ahead, gesturing for me to follow. We passed a closed door. There was nothing exceptional, but something about the door intrigued me. We were only a few steps past it when Soul suddenly stopped.

“That's my room. If you need anything tonight, don't hesitate to come and ask,” he smiled, pointing to his door.

We didn't move, he just kept staring down at me, smiling. I looked away from him for a moment, one word running through my mind. Lust.

Every demon is in charge of bringing a certain “sin” into the human world. I'm not sure I should even call them sins; to me they seem more like temptations than sins. Pride, Greed, Gluttony, Sloth, Wrath, Envy and Lust – the Seven Deadly Sins, or at least that's what they are described as. The few demons that I've met and had the displeasure of being around, never take the sins further than taunting and playing practical jokes on the humans. There were rumours of the upper-level demons using the sins to kill, but for the most part, these were only rumours. The killings gave demons something to talk about, and humans something to fear.

“Well, good night then,” Soul pulled me towards him, hugging me tightly.

“Good night,” I whispered back, slowly pulling away.

He grinned as I backed towards my bedroom. I shut the door behind me and stood listening. After a while I heard his bedroom door close. I locked my door and turned to admire the room. The
floorboards were darkly varnished and coordinated perfectly with the indigo walls. There was only one window, on the left side of the bed. It was dark outside and thousands of tiny, silver stars shone across the navy blue sky.

The large four-poster bed had off-white, net curtains that were tied back by small, dark blue ribbons at the head of the bed. A simple cream bedspread covered the large bed and identical cushions sat against the willow headboard. There was a simple dresser and just above it was a rather old-looking, misty-surfaced mirror with an engraved wooden frame. I stood staring at the mirror entranced by the strange aura that seemed to surround it. You couldn't see into it; but still it was beautiful. I took a few steps back to the bed, sat down on the edge and looked around. After a moment, I could hear a small ticking noise coming from a corner of the room. I looked around, searching for the source. In the corner closest to the bed, there it was.

A large grandfather clock was placed out of sight, blocked from view by the bed curtains. The large, bronze pendulum swung side to side, producing a dull click with each second that passed. I watched as the long hand of the clock ticked over to half past eight. A loud, echoing bell rang out. I supposed at least I would be able to keep track of the time. I doubted I would be able to get to sleep tonight, regardless of the clock's presence.

I lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. I could see how the constant dull ticking of the old clock could irritate a person, even drive them mad. I, however, found the ticking comforting. I reached into my jacket pocket for my phone and was worried when I couldn't find it. I knew I had it when Soul picked me up. I remembered putting it into my pocket before he brought me here. I got up and searched along the floor, but it was nowhere to be seen. I couldn't have dropped it, I would have heard it hit the floor.

Unless Soul took it … he had all the chances in the world.

That hug before I came into the room would have been the perfect opportunity. But why would he want my phone? There was nothing interesting on my phone, no important contacts. I needed it though; I needed to tell Cael about the house, about my stupidity. It wasn't a conversation that I wanted to have, but it was a necessary one. Luckily enough, that dreaded conversation could be postponed until I located my phone. I was concerned that I was in a strange house with no way of contacting Cael. I lay back on the bed, closing my eyes.

I was fully relaxed, the dull clicking of the pendulum in the old grandfather clock soon blurred into background noise. I felt myself drifting off to sleep.

I was suddenly aware my arms were moving. My eyes shot open and I sat up for a moment, feeling a rapid sensation of weightlessness. I gasped as I looked down at my sleeping body. All the colour drained from the room and slowly the walls shifted and morphed until I was in a completely new place.

It was familiar but at the same time I felt scared. There were several groups of humans sitting around an elderly man who was reading an unmarked book. Although their lips were moving there was no sound; it was as though I had entered a black and white silent movie. Before I could move, a hand on my shoulder pulled me back. I turned to see Soul looking at me. I couldn't control myself, I ran. I have no idea why; Soul didn't frighten me. Nevertheless, I ran past the humans, who remained in their places unaware of anything that was happening. It was as if they hadn't even noticed that I was there. I passed aisles of bookcases before turning down one with a large metal door at the end of the tall shelves.

As I approached, the room began to spin, the colourless walls turning into a vibrant green forest. I looked down and found myself standing on a steel grated platform. The sounds of birds and insects chirping broke the silence. I walked out onto a timber balcony without
railings. In the middle was a large, square, timber pillar. I reached it and turned around and saw Dorian and Soul standing on the platform, watching me. They didn't move but their eyes stayed on me, a look of amusement and accomplishment on their faces. From the other side of the wooden pillar, a teenage boy that I had never seen before walked towards me. He looked my age and had short, dark-brown hair that was almost black in places. He had bright orange, almost red, eyes; the colour reminded me of fire. He walked up to me without saying a word before placing his warm hands on either side of my face. He kissed me passionately, then we were engulfed in flames.

A loud bell rang out and suddenly I was awake. I sat up and looked around the room. The ringing continued and I looked over at the clock. Twelve o'clock, midnight by the look of the black sky outside. I had dozed off, yet the dream had seemed so vivid. I heard footsteps in the hallway and through the crack under the door I saw a shadow move. I walked to the door and hesitated before opening it and peering out into the dark hallway. I saw a figure standing perfectly still at the head of the stairs, facing me.

“Who are you?” I asked, my voice shaking.

There was no reply, but the figure walked towards me. From the shape, it appeared to be a child. His skin glowed white in the dull light of the empty hall. His black vest, pants and shoes matched the tone and colour of his hair perfectly. A white, long-sleeved shirt hung loosely on his arms, and two black, rose-shaped cufflinks held the sleeves secure around his small wrists. His raven hair was perfectly straight and sat just below his ears, his fringe covering his eyes completely. All I could see of his face was the tip of his nose and the sinister smile on his pale lips. The only visible parts of his skin were his face and his doll-like hands, positioned at his sides.

He continued smiling as he stopped barely a metre away, holding his closed fist. I raised an eyebrow in confusion. He giggled softly, his
open hand revealing an old-fashioned, gold key. It was oddly shaped and about ten centimetres long.

“What does it unlock?” I asked, my voice louder than I had intended.

The boy put a finger to his lips and shushed me. I went quiet immediately and the boy gestured for me to follow him to the staircase. We ran quickly and I almost stumbled down the last few steps. He led me down the hallway. All of a sudden he stopped in place. I looked ahead and saw the black door with the burgundy frame. The boy handed me the gold key and gestured towards the locked door. I held the key in my hand, slightly confused.

“So do you want me to go inside or something?”

The boy ignored my question, instead reaching out and pushing me forward.

“Tell me your name, boy, and I will go.”

“My name is Zacharia. I can't stay, just open the door. Trust me, you need to see what is inside,” the boy said in a high-pitched tone, retreating down the stairs. I lost sight of him in seconds. I turned back towards the door and placed the key in the lock.

I was half expecting something strange to happen as I opened the door. You know, lights flickering or something. But, sadly, I was disappointed. Nothing interesting or ominous happened. The door swung open effortlessly, revealing a large and seemingly empty room. I walked inside a few steps and stood in silence before the door slammed shut behind me. I spun around, scared out of my wits by the sight of ten candles suddenly alight in a fiery glow. There was no one and nothing in the room except for a single floor-length mirror in the centre. The surface of the mirror was lit by the now dim light radiating from the candles.

The mirror appeared to be beautifully made. I walked towards it, my reflection was crystal clear in the dim room. I stood in front of it
and stared at myself. My black dress was fitted around the waist; the hem fell loosely at my knees. I was barefoot and, although the brick floor was cold, it didn't seem to bother me.

The surface of the mirror clouded over. I stared. When it cleared again it was not my reflection on the mirror's surface. The reflection was that of a gaunt woman whose piercing coal-black eyes blended in with the paleness of her skin. Everything about her face and posture showed how delicate and thin she was.

She stared into my eyes for a moment before a smile appeared on her rose-red lips, and sudden excitement filled her empty eyes.

“You are the fire elemental who escaped with the water elemental! How on earth have you managed to find your way to my mirror room? Surely Soul would not have let you near this room. After all, he knows better than to return without fulfilling his duties.” The woman spoke quickly, her voice was calm yet I couldn't help but shudder at the venom in her voice.

I stumbled a few steps backward, “Who are you? How do you know me?”

The woman in the mirror pushed her hair out of her eyes with her hand, revealing sharp, blood-red nails.

“I'm Lilith. When you escaped you caused quite a problem for Samael and me.”

The instant those words left her mouth, I ran. I had almost reached the door when she spoke again.

“Don't leave, Emilie. I believe this is yours,”