The Whispers of the Fallen (13 page)

After they had satisfied their hunger, they took flight.

“
What was that?”
I asked as I tried to breathe, which was almost impossible, due to the intensified stench of human remains. I was surprised with the vivid impressions of the Shadows clouding my mind, their evil presence once again capturing my heart. They were coming fast, now approaching the mountains.

“We have to keep moving on, Devin. They are pretty close,” I declared.

We moved hastily, crossing through the city as fast as our feet allowed. I was amazed by the stamina I had to race alongside the Nephilins. This served as more proof that I was no longer the same boy. I was still astonished as these visions and other powers awoke within me, but I knew this was only the beginning. The adrenaline rush that pumped through my veins as we ran was incomparable to anything I had previously experienced. With each step I took, I could sense that I was evolving.

It was foolish of us to think that the beasts had disappeared before trying to get rid of us. Shortly after we began to run, the beasts were right at our backs. Their yellow eyes glowed eerily in the darkness and their teeth glimmered like the moon.

“
Separate!”
Devin ordered.

I immediately fled to my right as Adawnas veered to the left. Devin continued on, going straight ahead of us, toward the mountains. One of the beasts charged at me while another darted toward Adawnas. Through my new powers, I was able to see all the houses and judge with precision how I was going to jump over and dodge the oncoming structures. The beast flew above me, attacking savagely. Its movements reminded me of an eagle diving down from the sky to catch the prey it spotted from above.

I continuously swerved, dodging its every move. From tree to tree and rooftop to rooftop, I leaped as I tried to escape its attack. Though the beast was amazingly swift, I was faster. Just as the creature thought it was gaining on me, I turned and with a simple thought, I was able to dominate the beast, making it come to a brusque stop. The beast let out a mighty growl.

My eyes were transfixed on this abominable creature. Issuing another order with my mind, I inflicted lethal pain into its heart. The beast howled as the pain consumed its body, causing it to thrash about as it fell to the ground moments later.

Without delay, I went to Adawnas’ aid. After a quick search, I spotted her and the beast fighting. When I approached her, I discovered that Devin was already there, fiercely thrashing the beast. The grotesque creature howled as its body landed with a heavy thud to the ground, dilacerated due to Devin’s violent attack.

Devin took out his sword and decapitated the beast. A foul smell erupted from the blood that spewed out of its body. Despite the treacherous state we were all in, Adawnas mustered the strength to gracefully stand up.

“What are they, Devin?” I asked as my eyes remained fixed on the body.

“Desert Dragons. That is why Corbin did not want them to remove the bodies from the city. The stench of dead flesh is guiding them here.”

With increased urgency we continued our escape. The marching sounds of the Shadows were audible now. The sounds of thunderous stomping from a great army mightily shook the ground. Their growls rang out; the roar of more beasts resounded around us. The rumble of the crashing of buildings collapsing filled the atmosphere. I could feel their anguished souls as they commenced to destroy the city. I tried to avert my focus away from them, but it was extremely difficult.

As we fled deeper into the mountains, I could still hear their souls crying out. I stopped and turned around, but Devin quickly rebuked me.

“Are you insane, Isaac?”

I ignored him. Something was drawing me to run back to Billyth, against my will.

The impulse was unexplainable. Somehow the tormented souls of the Shadows were fascinating as well as horrifying to me. I hastily turned back, without understanding why.

In a dark corner at the foot of the mountain I stopped where I could watch the city burn. It was intriguing to see the Shadows screaming, growling, howling and destroying everything within seconds. What took men many years to build had quickly been turned to ash and dust. The stench of burnt flesh was everywhere. Ahead, I could see dark figures in the sky; Desert Dragons roamed throughout Billyth making sure none were left alive.

“Have you gone mad, Isaac?” Adawnas whispered from behind me. I was so caught up watching, I had not noticed I had been followed.

Silence overshadowed.

“I can see every thought their souls are having, every idea…is loud and clear to me now,” I said in a quivering voice. “They are lost inside of themselves, being controlled by other forces. It is indeed sad to see them like this—an army of the living dead.”

She walked closer.

“So now you understand why the Diary must never be opened. This is just the beginning—the beginning of the destruction that is to come upon Elysium. Even though you refused to give your blood to open the Diary, they will destroy the kingdoms. One by one they will fall to the Darkness. They will try to seduce kings, queens, stewards and armies of this world into joining them.”

I turned my gaze to her. “What is the purpose of destroying the kingdoms of this world?” I asked.

“To rid the world of the Creator’s creations, and now it has become a relentless chase for blood…
your
blood…
your
kin.”

My blood and kin?
Did I have any other relatives I was not aware of? I wondered what remained of my bloodline, besides my now dead parents. The thought of their death was still difficult for me to comprehend.

Devin approached from the woods.

“Are you two in the mood to die tonight? We must hurry,” he said, walking closer to us.

“But there is no one left, Isaac,” Adawnas continued. “Since you refused to give your blood, they will have to wait for your human will to be at its highest again. They have tried this in past ages, but never with this intensity.”

“Tried in past ages?” I asked as I turned my eyes away from the burning city.

“They have searched for the one to open the Diary before, but never with such vigilance.”

“Will these powers ever leave me?” I asked as I made my way back into the forest.

“They will never leave you, but they cannot contain your human will. Even though your inner man is strong, you won’t be able to completely rid yourself from desires such as pride, greed and the longing for power. They may be sleeping within you now, because of your excitement for being so powerful, but soon they will spring forth. You are still human nonetheless,” said Adawnas.

Devin sighed.

“We should not linger here. Why are we here anyway? If I am not mistaken you are the one that urged us get away from this city,” Devin alleged as his eyes were fixed on the burning buildings.

The thought of succumbing to temptation seemed incomprehensible. After seeing all of this, living, and breathing these abilities, why would I want to give in to Nephele and Azaziel?

“Are we leaving?” Devin was getting irritated.

Somehow, I felt a certain satisfaction while looking into the tormented souls as they burned the city with their bare hands. Their minds were locked in a constant battle. I knew they were being controlled by evil, but at the same time, they wanted freedom from this control. Sorrow filled them with a constant void, possessing every member of their decayed bodies as they destroyed everything along their path.”

“I am not waiting on either of you any longer. Let’s go!” Devin was enraged.

“Isaac, we have to leave. They will see us here…” Adawnas motioned gently.

“Yes. Let’s,” I mumbled.

The moment we started to head back toward the forest, I was able to refrain myself from watching the Shadows destroy the city. The farther we distanced ourselves from Billyth, the easier it was for me to block out their feelings from my mind. I figured I could resist reading Adawnas’ and Devin’s souls, because I hadn’t yet been curious enough, but I found the thoughts and feelings of the Shadows fascinating.

“Let us rest awhile,” Devin said the moment we were at a safe distance from the kingdom. I supposed even those with great powers still needed to rest. I reclined near a tree, Adawnas sat next to me, and Devin sat next to a small river that was nearby.

“What if the Shadows come back for us here?” I asked.

“I am sure you will be able to see them even with your eyes closed,” Devin replied as he made himself comfortable near the riverbank.

From where I was sitting, I saw the thick darkness of the night sky hovering above us through a small gap in the tree branches ahead of me. As I gazed into the sky, I heard a tune coming from the river. I lifted my head to see Devin looking at the darkness that hovered over us. He was softly humming a song. He sang of a woman from the past that had lost her heart in war and lived forever in grief.

…Dear one who has walked by

My heart you’ve stolen, it is no longer mine

From the shadows you came,

but I shall not come to thee in vain.

One day I hope to find the heart,

the heart that was once mine.

As he sang, my eyelids grew heavier.

I saw a staircase that led to a long dark hallway. I was chained to two gigantic pillars and my body was completely bruised. A snake was wrapped around me; its eyes were as yellow and bright as the morning sun. Its tail rattled as its tongue touched my face.

We are coming from the shadows. We have risen from the ashes to find you.
I heard many voices whispering as the snake tightened its grasp around my chest. I was unable to move and my mouth refused to obey my command to speak.

As I looked at the snake, it was transforming itself, slowly taking shape. As I blinked, I saw Demetre standing before me, his eyes dark, his skin pale, his clothes looking completely disheveled. His body slowly deteriorated and flames surrounded him.

I woke up gasping for air. I was sweating profusely; it seemed as though I had gone swimming in the river. I surveyed my surroundings only to find Devin and Adawnas sound asleep and the forest in complete silence. The sound of the murmuring river brought me some peace. I reclined my head and closed my eyes, wondering if I would be able to fall asleep again.

VIII

I was awoken from a deep sleep by a violent shaking from Devin.

“Let us be on our way, Isaac. It is already late,” he admonished.

Slowly, I opened my eyes. I still expected to see sunlight when I woke up, but that hadn’t happened for some time. Adawnas appeared like a breath of sunshine with three apples in hand.

“Here is breakfast!” she said as she tossed the apples to Devin and me. As we continued with our walk, I saw a remote village surrounded by an old rugged wall in the valley of the forest from atop one of the hills. Smoke swirled in circles from the chimneys of the housetops and I could hear the faint chatter of the residents.

“What is this place?” I asked Devin.

“The Valley Hills—a small village near Mag Mell. Many small villages surround the kingdom. Kings use them to signal an oncoming battle. If these regions endure the preliminary attack, the kingdom is alerted beforehand of the enemy’s approach. It is said that Mag Mell is the kingdom with the strongest army amongst humans. If there are any in the human world that can call all other human kingdoms to battle, it is Mag Mell.”

I looked at the small village again.

“And how are mere humans supposed to defeat these…things…that are coming after the Diary?” I asked curiously.

“If the human kingdoms unite, they may have a chance to win this war.” Devin placed his hand on my shoulder. “Humanity can still be redeemed. All that is needed is the will to fight. We must warn all of the kingdoms before the Shadows have the chance to spread,” Devin said hastily.

“Remember, they seek to kill as many humans as possible so that their souls are unable to cross over, thus adding numbers to their army,” Adawnas added. “The Shadows will not cease to attack Elysium until all humans are killed. Inside the Abyss, the enemy is planning another attack. We must all be ready.”

Flashes and images appeared in my mind. Sorrow grew in my heart as I looked at every single one of the faces that emerged.

“I can see—feel what they are feeling,” I mumbled. “They have doubt, pain and loss. Some have recently lost loved ones,” I said in a hushed voice.