The Whispers of the Fallen (33 page)

“That being?” I asked, enraged.

“To be the keepers of the Diary. To never give in to the temptation of reading its pages; to keep it safe from enemy’s hands. I may be its bearer, but Demetre will aid me during this journey, no matter what the cost.
That
is my mission…and Demetre’s.”

I laughed. “You are still human. Nothing that you say or do can change that. Sooner or later, the Diary will get to you and you will open it, willingly. Will you really be able to contain yourself, knowing you hold such an important book?”

“I will fight with all that I have,” he affirmed in a strong voice. His speech was bold and full of authority.

“The Fallen Stars and the Nephilins have chosen the wrong time to attack. As the darkness rises, so does the light. There are some humans that have not and will not turn their back on the Creator.”

“That explains the futile efforts of the humans that are wasting their lives fighting against us.”

He closed his eyes and clenched his fists. “They fight because even Lucifer and his armies aren’t strong enough to cause their hope for redemption to grow dim.”

“
Fools
!
All of you
! Why do you do this to yourself, Isaac?
Look at you
! Do you not see all the power and the abilities you possess? Think of what you can be if you ally yourself with us!” I declared.

“I wondered where I would find you, Nephele. It is of no surprise that you stand next to Isaac,” Erebos said with a smirk, strolling in from the darkness of the woods.

“King Marco?” Isaac asked. He scowled the moment he laid eyes on Erebos.

“Boy, this body is no longer a dwelling place for a king of men. A greater power now lives within this vessel.” The kingly robes that once clothed him were now all ragged and torn; blood dripped from his fingers and toes. “Excuse my appearance, but I had to feed.”

With the palm of his right hand pointing toward Isaac, he released a flash of red light that was shaped like a whip. With great force it flew toward Isaac, stopping only an inch away from his face.

“Try harder, beast,” Isaac mocked.

My mind attacked him viciously; he screamed and the whip wrapped around him, lashing him with great strength. Isaac struggled against the attacks, moving his body about, trying to free himself from the whip. He tried to push us away by using the power of his mind. Small cuts and bruises appeared as the whip tightened around Isaac’s body.

“This only proves how human you still are. I am a Fallen Star. I have been alive long before you, boy. And yet you have the gall to defy me.” Erebos laughed aloud as he watched Isaac struggle. Immediately, his whip transformed into a snake; its body wrapped around Isaac.

“Where are the other book-bearers?” Erebos demanded, tightening his grip to emphasize his supremacy.

Isaac defiantly looked into Erebos’ eyes, but remained mute to his cynical maneuver, and refused to divulge the coveted secret.

“
Intensify the pain, Nephele
,” Erebos commanded as he belted forth a satirical shrill. “Show the boy what we are capable of.”

“I am beyond seeing what you all can do, Erebos.” Isaac’s teeth chattered and sweat flowed from his brow like tears. The snake Erebos held in his hand disappeared into a mist. In a flash, Erebos stood in front of Isaac and held his face in the cup of his hand.

“If you don’t tell us where the others are, we will find them anyway. We will lock you all in a dungeon and torture you until you only have the sheer will left to shed your blood for the Dark One and pledge allegiance to him,” Erebos promised with a malevolent sneer.

I was thrown against the trees by the force of a loud explosion. Dirt and rock flew about as the explosion intensified. Above me, I saw Nathan leaping over the treetops as he darted flashes of light in our direction. When the light touched the ground, loud explosions ignited. Nathan’s face was covered with blood.

I looked at the ground and saw Isaac lying unconscious on the floor. Erebos stood to his feet.

“
Is this how you want to fight, Underwarrior
?” Erebos shouted as his limbs shriveled, melting into his body, making way for a tail. His skull changed its shape and his eyes inverted to a bright golden glare. He revealed his visage in form—a coiled snake, cunning and lethal.

Nathan did not respond with words but with action. He flew toward Erebos, wielding a flaming sword in his right hand.

“Clever of you to come against me with fire,” Erebos remarked as his body stood upright, ready to attack. With one hand, Nathan held his sword and with the other he cast exploding flashes of light at me. Because of the flaming attacks, the floor of the forest was enveloped in flames. The trees became burning torches. Soon the smoke filled the sky. The flames were spreading quickly.

Erebos grabbed ahold of Nathan with his tail. “Fool. Your efforts are in vain. Even if you defeat me, we will find them.”

“Destroy him!” My voice was drowned by loud thunder. Lightning flashed across the sky, creating a kaleidoscope of colors. The clouds moved in as a whirlwind and the wind picked up, causing the trees to bow low toward the ground in surrender to its strength.

White Dragons crossed the sky in great haste, howling as they flew. It was as if the clouds were falling upon us, slowly closing in on the ground. The snow on the trees was picked up by the strong winds, creating a curtain of pure white. But even through the snow, I could not miss the massive funnel cloud that touched the ground.

Abrasive shouts rang out from where the battle was being fought. Horses and horsemen appeared from the trees, fleeing into the heart of the forest. Nephilins crossed beyond the clouds, through the sky, flying in the opposite direction of the funnel clouds.

“The earth is in changing.” Nathan’s voice was alarmed. “Elysium was not created to be under such darkness. Nature itself will revolt against this destructive force.” Erebos quickly reverted to his humanlike form.

The flames intensified as the wind blew. With a simple move of his right hand, Nathan transmitted a flash of light, illuminating everything, blinding me to all the action. In a matter of seconds, my vision returned. Nathan was gone, along with Isaac.

“
Damn you!
” Erebos shouted.

“They cannot have gone too far. Nathan was weak,” I retorted as I flew toward the turbulent sky.

The view that appeared before me as I flew was unlike anything I had seen in all the ages past of this world. The funnel clouds were scattered profusely throughout the firmament; the flames had spread, reaching as far as the mountains. I was dumbfounded, not knowing what to call a storm of this magnitude. The snow that was on the forest floor scattered in the air as the wind continued to blow unabated.

“Listen to what I have to say.” Lucifer’s voice echoed through the atmosphere. “My body may still be asleep, but let me assure you, I shall not delay my attack on this land.” Joy filled my heart as his voice reverberated. “To the ignorant humans that are fighting against that which they know nothing about, I now speak to you. I will destroy every man, woman and child in Elysium if the book-bearers are not found by my servants. I can assure every single mortal that the worst evil has yet to be revealed unto you.”

The circling clouds merged into the shape of a face. “Once again I warn everyone, your efforts are but folly against my powers. Give your allegiance to me and you will save yourselves from the imminent doom of this world.”

I rejoiced with every word as it penetrated my heart. His voice brought me peace and reassurance to our cause.

As my heart filled with joy, my body felt a sharp, stabbing pain and a blinding light obstructed my vision. My arms and legs became numb as I felt my body plunge to the ground.

XIX

With no power to resist, I was forced into a twilight state. After a short slumber, I opened my eyes.

“You are finally awake.” I heard Erebos’ distant voice as my senses were restored. “That bolt of lightning impacted you quite hard.” All around me, I could see smoke rising from the torched brush trees and scattered debris. A putrid smell dominated the atmosphere. The ground was moist and murky.

“What happened?” I asked Erebos, disturbed.

“After you fell, all of the armies fled because of the intensity of the storm,” Erebos said as he sat atop an ashen tree trunk.

“Where are the other Nephilins?” I inquired, still in a daze.

“Probably back at Aloisio—hiding at the entrance of the Prison of Despair.”

“And the Shadows?”

“They fled toward the woods,” Erebos affirmed, not bothering to move a single muscle.

At this point, I was close to the edge of insanity. Every time we were so close to snatching the book-bearers, some unexpected occurrence delayed our capture.

“There is one that I believe can help us.” He took in a deep breath. “Come closer.” He scanned the forest as he spoke. From behind the trees, a human-shaped creature appeared.

“I found it shortly after you fell,” he announced, his steps coming closer to the creature.

“Am I supposed to know what this creature is?” The creature’s skin resembled a human’s, but it had a greenish tint to it; the texture was as smooth as that of the finest silk. Its skin glistened as it paced in our direction.

“My dear, it is the Lesser you met.” Erebos touched the creature’s arm with trepidation. The creature had the features of a man, with chestnut brown hair, light hazel eyes and a pointy chin.

“I believe I can speak for myself.” The Lesser’s voice was deep and ominous. “I do not need you to speak for me.”

“I thought it wasn’t capable of speaking on its own—at least, not with such eloquence,” I mumbled, looking at Erebos.

“He…my lady…not it,” the Lesser sharply affirmed; his eyes shot me a dark stare.

“My speech came to me when Justicia was overtaken by the darkness,” he exclaimed. “After the light came to us, it was as if my mind was unveiled to all other things.” His head twitched and his eyes moved in a rapid motion. “I am still adjusting to having a mind of my own.”

“His abilities might have evolved when the castle of Justicia was separated from Tristar,” Erebos stated with a curious stare.

In awe, I marveled at him. I had already seen potential in the Lessers but now, my mind could barely fathom all the things that we could do together as an army.

“Now that you have a mind of your own,” I said as I approached him, “I must ask you this. Where does your allegiance lie?”

His gaze met mine. “I have not known any other way than that of darkness. I have no knowledge of a choice as to where else my allegiance could lie.”

“Do you remember if there are any others like you?” Erebos inquired.

He paced around in circles as he looked up at the trees. “Many more. My mind could never forget those that lie in the darkness of the shadows of the world…my brothers and sisters at arms.”

“What is your name?” I curiously asked.

He approached me with heavy breaths. “I do not remember.”

“May I give you a name?” I asked.

His eyes widened in surprise. “My lady, it would be an honor,” he responded.

Behind this creature’s newfound knowledge and speech ability, I could clearly see the lack of confidence inside of him. The best way to have him trust us completely was to give him identity.

“Cahir…you shall be named Cahir,” I stated.

He gave me a soft smile. “Why…thank you,” he softly mumbled.

“Now that we have given you a name, we must ask you for something in return,” I cajoled.

His eyes widened. “Anything you need. I will serve you both,” he said, joyful.

“What are you doing?” Erebos asked me, confused.

“Take us to the other Lessers,” I prompted, ignoring Erebos’ question.

“Nephele…” Erebos shot me a piercing glance as his voice trailed off.

Cahir’s eyes were filled with sorrow.

“Is there a problem with my request?” I asked.

“The darkness where the Lessers are hidden in has never been touched by any of this world. The darkness is too deep. Humans would have to dig for years in order to find the place where the Lessers slumber. Besides, these Lessers are not the same as I am. Their minds are still empty. No one has ever given them abilities of their own.”