The Whispers of the Fallen (12 page)

He nodded. “What do we do with them, my lord?” he asked.

Corbin ignored the question. He grabbed Nephele’s hand. A shadow enveloped them and as fast as a heartbeat, they disappeared.

“Coward!” I yelled. “Where are you off to?”

Did he doubt that I could defeat him? How could he turn away from me in battle? As fast as I could blink, the others also vanished from the room.

I was infuriated.

“Why would he suddenly spare me from this battle? Is he afraid?”

“Be glad that he did, Isaac. Be glad for many things that have happened tonight for they could have been a lot worse,” said Adawnas as she stood to her feet.

“How could it be worse, Adawnas? They have the Diary.” The thought provoked fear.

“They don’t have you, Isaac. You’ve chosen wisely.” She gave me a crooked smile, and then groaned in pain.

I walked to the window to look out at the city. As I looked outside, I understood what they meant by
the bodies
. They were scattered everywhere, as if they had been strategically placed around the city like special ornaments.

I don’t know where this strength was coming from. Somehow, in some way, I had to overcome the sadness of my loss. All while I gazed at a city populated with corpses. Demetre had always been with me since birth. I did not recall a single significant moment in my life where he wasn’t present. I was always there to protect him from any situation he couldn’t get out of by himself. Now I found him fighting against me.

From the window, the sight I saw could not solely be described by words. My only urge was to desperately go out there and try to find survivors. Since the awakening of these powers, my vision had become clearer, allowing me to see a lot more than before. Seeing those bodies scattered around brought within me a great rage and fury.

“We must look for survivors. We cannot leave without looking around,” I affirmed.

Devin, Adawnas and I started toward the window, broke through the glass and landed right on the street below.

I looked up and saw how incredible the castle looked. A mesmerizing clock tower majestically rose between two colossal columns. The high triangular roofs seemed even taller from the ground. The windows were adorned with ornamented frames.

Near the castle were many houses. Inside each one of them, I saw the bodies of the families who just happened to live in this city, ruled by some sort of underground government.

“So the Nephilins hide underground?” I asked Devin, enraged with what my eyes saw.

“They…um…we used to,” he murmured in a soft, shy voice. “Since the Fallen Stars started to create the army of Shadows, we have remained hidden. Not only underground but also on mountains and in caves.”

I looked at Adawnas and it was clearly visible how much seeing this destruction brought her pain. She quietly looked around at the bodies. She could not mask her overwhelming sorrow.

In one of the houses, we found a child lying on the floor. He had been shot in the chest by many arrows. As I approached him, I felt a sharp pain in my head; my eyes stung immediately. I closed them only to see a vision. I saw Nephele killing with her vile and repulsive gift, along with Azaziel.

“No!” I screamed as soon as the vision vanished.

“What is wrong, Isaac?” Adawnas asked. It took me a while to find reason again.

“I can see what they saw, the last image in their minds before they died,” I explained. My hands shook uncontrollably as Devin approached us.

“Your gifts, they are quickly developing. Still, we must go on.” Devin looked at the bodies, shook his head in a sign of disapproval and left.

We walked out of the house, my heart feeling as heavy as stone. We continued walking along the dark streets of Billyth. Looking around, the thought that I had tried to hide away for a while knocked on my door again. The picture of my father’s and mother’s faces appeared in my mind, only to be destroyed by the terrible truth that they had been killed.

A tear strolled down my face. I was trying to stop it, to not let this thought take over me now, but I was not able to contain it. After the first tear another followed. I was overwhelmed by all the emotions I tried to ignore. The thought of having lost my parents and my best friend was tormenting.

Continuous sobs followed the tears, and soon, I was a wreck. So much went through my mind, all the things I thought I could hide away somewhere in my heart. Devin and Adawnas kept walking ahead of me. They noticed I had stopped, and after a while, they both looked back and walked toward me. None said a single word as they stood by my side. That was good enough for me; their presence alone brought me some comfort.

After I cried and grieved for a while, I was somewhat able to compose myself. I did not mention the reason for my crying; I did not want them to know. Not now.

“There is no one left,” Devin whispered. The feeling of a causeless death and of an ever-growing will for power filled my cup. No longer was my heart beating for fear or because I thought I was too fragile to face the darkness. My heart was now beating for justice.

“Did you know about the offers I was going to receive?” I asked as I wiped away the last tear.

They looked at each other silently.

“Yes, Isaac. All along I knew you were going to receive the offer. I was almost lured into letting you drink the wine, but I simply couldn’t.” Adawnas was the one to respond. She sounded shameful and disgusted. “I have been with the Council for many years. The moment my heart felt the Darkness enter Tristar through Justicia, I had to pretend to be like them. Otherwise, spears and swords would have been used against me.”

I sighed.

“And you, Devin…Did
you
know?”

He walked closer, laying his hand on my shoulder.

“All along…” He could not look me in the eye when he answered.

“Did any of you ever think about mentioning that to me?” I was trying really hard not to doubt them anymore. I longed to know that I could trust them. After facing death right in the eye, having gone through so many perilous moments, and witnessing my best friend become one of the Fallen Stars, I would have appreciated some type of warning.

“We couldn’t, Isaac. The decision needed to have been wholly yours, and no one else’s,” Devin replied.

“And how did you know about all of this?” Instantly I wondered if they had any special gifts similar to mine.

“Well…Devin was…visited,” Adawnas mumbled.

I turned to face them both.

“The day I came to you in the forest, Ely had warned me about the future…and of the urgency of finding you before your natural abilities were awoken. How do you think we have been able to withstand all of this for so long?”

Truly I hadn’t thought of this concept before. They were both beautiful and perfect Nephilins, with many abilities. Yet, neither gave in to what the others said.

“By doing what we did—leaving our…hiding place and coming to the Council, we felt as if we could possibly be redeemed from being who we are. Hope was stirred inside of us,” said Adawnas.

“Hope of what?” I asked ingeniously.

Adawnas sighed.

“Hope of salvation, Isaac,” she responded.

“Even though evil runs through our veins,” Adawnas continued. “I refused to take part of their plan—to have creation die without knowledge, thus creating a gigantic, thoughtless army that would be able to strike Tristar and dethrone the Creator.”

“The Shadows…” My voice trailed off as the grotesque image of their faces invaded my mind.

“And what of Demetre? What did they do to him? He did not choose such fate,” I asked. The tears tried to return.

“They performed the Soul Exchange. Demetre was offered to the Darkness when he was an infant. This offer gives liberty for any chosen Fallen Star to take over his body upon his blood maturation. Therefore, Demetre’s fate was chosen for him.” Devin sighed. “This is a dangerous thing, given that a Fallen Star is now hosted in a human body. Their tissue, skin and blood have intertwined. They are one.”

I placed both of my hands on my face, closed my eyes and once again cried bitterly. Demetre, the person I had known throughout my entire life, the person that knew me best, died without having a choice. A part of me wanted to refuse to believe that this was true, but deep inside I knew the truth had to be embraced now.

“I am sorry, Isaac,” Adawnas whispered.

“And what of his soul?” I replied in a hoarse voice. I feared the answer to my question.

“He died knowing the truth. One must assume that he will not become a Shadow, but I cannot answer that question for you, I’m afraid,” Devin replied. “Our kind has caused great damage to this place. We are an abomination to the laws of the universe. We were never meant to be born or created. Our race is doomed by birth.” He scoffed. “I am sad to say that what happened to Demetre is a small part of the many things already taking place in the deep places of this world.”

He turned to face me once again. “Still, I promise you, even if I am already doomed to an eternity of darkness, I will protect you. I will not be one to give in to the disorder that has come.”

VII

We kept on walking around Billyth under the cold torrential rain. The air had become very moist and thick and the atmosphere felt even heavier. The architecture of this place was breathtaking. The houses seemed to have been taken from a painting. They were stacked up like stepping stones, one on top of the other. The city had been built upon many small hills, making the cobblestone streets uneven.

As I walked along the masterfully constructed streets, I heard the distant growls of Aquilas. Adawnas and Devin were immediately on high alert. I spotted their shadows in the rainy sky. The flock flew together, crossing over the city. While my eyes followed their every movement, I gazed at something majestic. As they flapped their wings, small light particles scattered in the air like dandelions carried by the wind. The lights hovered and then slowly disappeared. From where we were standing, the twinkling lights looked more like stars. Soon, other black figures appeared in the sky. Their silhouettes were so dark, they merged with the dim clouds, making them difficult to see.

I was startled by the roaring sounds of thunder. A dreary feeling overtook me. It was something I had not yet experienced. Like in a vision, I watched Shadows marching in our direction. They were gathered in massive formations, heading toward us with one purpose.

“Corbin did not spare us.” I sighed with trepidation. “They were going to destroy the city.”

The dark figures approached the Aquilas. They collided and instantly, a fight broke out. With every strike incurred by the Aquilas, more particles of light were emitted, sprinkling the sky with golden colors.

My mind filtered the thoughts of the Shadows as they approached us. Every impulse from these beings was transmitted to me; I could feel every urge they had.

“We have to leave
now
…please…I see the Shadows. They are coming to annihilate this city. We cannot withstand this onslaught,” I declared.

Devin and Adawnas looked startled.

My eyes were firmly fixed on the battle between the Aquilas and the shadowed beings.

“Damn traitors!” Devin shouted. “Now that the Council has fallen, the Gates of the Fourth Dimension are unguarded and Fallen Stars and Shadows can freely cross over.”

“We can make it to the mountains. We can take the river and head to Mag Mell,” Adawnas said.

Devin seemed to disapprove of Adawnas’ idea. I had never heard of the Kingdom of Mag Mell, but right now the only thing that concerned me was leaving.

We tried to make our way out of the city, hoping to go about unnoticed. At that moment, a mighty growl echoed, one that sounded extremely close, causing Devin and Adawnas to stop.

We all fell silent, trying to listen closely. All I could hear was the rumbling thunder of the rain clouds in the sky. At once, the loud sounds of the battle vanished. No longer could I hear the Aquilas or the shadowed beings.

As we continued our effort to escape the city, we reached a small courtyard surrounded by many houses. There were four benches, arranged neatly in a perfect circle around a tree. Underneath the tree, water flowed from a beautiful water fountain. The beauty of the courtyard faded against the stark sight of the numerous dead bodies of its citizens.

From the street that was directly before us, I heard a predatory roar, followed by pounding thuds on the ground. The houses around us were being destroyed as the creature’s wings toppled them all to the ground. It was one of the shadowed beings that fought with the Aquilas. The stench of putrid flesh that came from the creature was unbearably nauseating. Its black skin glimmered in the dark. Six small horns protruded above its eyebrows. A seventh horn grew right above its nostrils. The creature’s teeth were long and unevenly shorn. We all remained very still as it sniffed the corpses around us. I tried to read its soul, but the creature did not seem to have one. Adawnas stood right next to me, frozen like a statue. From the sky another beast swooped down, this time right next to me. Neither creature seemed interested in us; the corpses were what grasped their attention. Violently, they shook them around, tearing them into pieces and devouring them. As I watched them feast on human flesh the sight repudiated me. Blood gushed from their mouths and trickled down their thick necks, coating their claws with the sticky thick substance.