The Whispers of the Fallen (37 page)

My body turned to shadow, hovering over the blood-drinkers. I released pain upon them. Scattered screams resounded as the ten were brought to their knees.

Erebos raised his right hand, swiftly moving his fingers. Grunts, moans and screams followed as the blood-drinkers were tortured with pain.

I changed back to physical form.

“Let us hope that after this little lesson, you will refrain from saying such foolish things,” Erebos spoke in rage; his eyes were opened wide and fixed on every single one of the blood-drinkers. I had ceased my attack, while Erebos inflicted them all with torturous pain.

To our surprise, one by one, the blood-drinkers stood to their feet. “We may not have fed properly, but we still harbor great strength,” one of the blood-drinkers with flaming red hair and green eyes said. “We are Madbouseux’s strongest warriors and we will not take surrender lightly.” His body disintegrated in the air, becoming a gray shadow. He moved around us in a circular motion. Erebos grabbed my hand as our bodies shifted to shadows. With all our speed, we flew away from them.

Behind us, I saw the blood-drinkers ferociously chasing us; their dragon-like wings were dark and rugged.

“Where are we headed to?” I asked Erebos as we made our way through the air.

“The Lessers…. They have allied to us. They will fight for us.” His voice sounded apprehensive. “It would be foolish to try to defeat all these blood-drinkers by ourselves.”

Bolts of light and fire passed us by, followed by the blood-drinkers’ strong cries of rage. I was not accustomed to retreating from my foes, but this situation was particularly different. We were outnumbered. We headed toward the Lessers, not knowing what to expect once they saw the blood-drinkers.

Their bodies changed color as they flew. To my right, one blood-drinker assumed the form of a hand that grabbed me by the arm, snatched me, and pulled me against the ground. I reacted immediately, attacking the blood-drinker with my mind. I was released from the strong grasp as the hand vanished.

Above us, the Lessers appeared, flying in the direction of the blood-drinkers.

“I have called them out to fight,” Erebos stated as we hastily flew. “I have given them wings also…to help them in battle…”

Confusion stirred inside of me. “The Lessers might die in battle here,” I bellowed. “You should not have called them to fight before consulting with me.”

“Forgive me, Nephele, but we are running out of time. We need to leave the Heart of Elysium,” Erebos replied coldly.

The Lessers’ speed and agility were incredible. Their wings resembled that of a vulture; rugged feathers with faded colors. Their faces were void of any emotion.

We turned to look at the Lessers the moment the battle cries arose.

“The Dark One never asked us to come to the Heart of Elysium. We have the Shadows, the Fallen Stars and the Lessers. Our army is strong enough already. We do not need this forsaken army. We should head out now,” Erebos affirmed in rage.

As soon as those words came out of his mouth, I landed a punch on his face with all of my might; his body shot straight down to the ground. The impact of his body was so severe, it formed a crater.

“We are not turning back!” I yelled, approaching his body.

“Nephele, you do not want to fight me. You know what I am capable of.” The dust that formed from the impact moved around him like a tornado. “Lucifer has commanded me to go into the kingdoms and command their rulers to fight for him. I will not allow your stubbornness to hinder me from fulfilling the task
Lucifer
has entrusted me with,” he added.

I laughed. “Just because you are embodied inside of a king does not make you one, Erebos. Just because your kind fathered us, it does not give you the right to dictate our doings.” Flames of fury burned inside of my heart. My loyalty did not lie with the Fallen Stars or the Shadows—my heart was loyal only to the Dark One. “I will face and destroy any who oppose Lucifer’s wishes.”

“Leave the Lessers and the blood-drinkers here or we are going to have a problem.” The dust surrounded him like a blanket. With my gaze, I caused flames to engulf his body.

“We stay, we fight and take the Lessers with us, back to Elysium,” I declared.

A heart-wrenching roar filled the air as the blood drinkers and the Lessers lightened the sky with their attacks.

“I am trying to save us, Nephele,” Erebos shouted. “Stop this madness.”

I ceased the fire when a loud roar echoed, followed by a putrid stench. Some unseen force tightened its grasp around me; I had never experienced such a feeling before. The pain I felt overwhelmed me from head to toe. My head felt as if it was about to explode.

“Capios,” Erebos said. “I have the ability to create them.” He walked toward me. Everything around me was growing dim. “It is time that you show respect to those that are superior to you. I am growing tired of your stubbornness. You are going to get us both killed if you do not listen to me.

“As the Capios’ grasp tightens, you will soon wish for death and when you do, I will release you and you will follow my orders. I will not tolerate such stubborn actions from you anymore. Your devotion to the Dark One is clouding your judgment.”

I felt the hands of the Capios pressing me down. They turned me onto my stomach and forced my face on the ground. Blood dripped from my nostrils and mouth. With every breath I took, ashes permeated my throat. Their growls were soft and shallow.

“Why do fools get caught up in the affairs of others?” a loud voice bellowed. The Capios let me loose; their growling faded. I lifted my head up and saw a man of high stature standing in front of me.

“I was wondering when I would see you again. You have some explaining to do,” Erebos affirmed in a strong voice.

“Explaining?” The man’s voice was unlike anything I had ever heard. He spoke every word peacefully, but with great authority. “Erebos, you were told by Lucifer to go about the kingdoms to gather their kings to fight alongside us, not to meddle in the affairs of Nephilins.” A soft grin was stamped across the man’s colorless face. His hair was short and dark and his eyes were gray like the ashes scattered along the ground. The rugged garments he wore were stained with blood.

“You are not in a position to inquire about what the Dark One has asked of me, Xavier,” Erebos said. “You kept me in the dark all this time about this place…these creatures…”

“I never told you about this place and yet you have found it on your own,” Xavier asserted sarcastically. “How mature of you, little brother!”

Xavier raised his right hand in the direction of the fight between the Lessers and blood-drinkers. “I see you have been playing with my puppets. You should have known better,” Xavier said; Erebos scoffed in anger.

The blood-drinkers and the Lessers walked toward him like spellbound drones. Their eyes were glazed over with a white mist.

“What are you doing to them?” I asked him. “We are to use the Lessers and blood-drinkers against Elysium and in the conquering of the kingdoms.” I approached him.

Xavier’s laugh caused a great rage to rise within me. Who was this man?

“Little girl, these creatures do not concern you. Lucifer already had plans for them before you even knew they existed.”

“I have accomplished that which you have ordered, Master,” a broken voice cried out from behind me. Quickly, I looked over my shoulder to find Cahir dragging his broken body against the ash-covered ground.

“Master?” Erebos mumbled, confused. “How is he your master?”

“After the castle of Justicia fell in Elysium, I found Cahir lying desolate in the forest. When I saw the transformation he had gone through after the fall, I knew he could be useful. My good and faithful servant led you two to exactly where I wanted you to be.”

I pondered on Xavier’s claims about Cahir luring us to do his bidding. How could Lucifer have allowed such a thing?

“Why would you keep me in the dark like that, Xavier?” Erebos questioned him. A feeling of disappointment flowed with every word he uttered. “Can we not find loyalty in each other anymore?”

“Brother, after the fall I believe you have already realized that loyalty only existed during our days with the Creator. After those days, we have seen so much darkness, it is impossible to believe in loyalty, even amongst ourselves.” Xavier walked to Cahir, who now stood next to the Lessers and the blood-drinkers. “Once I saw that the Lessers and the blood-drinkers were battling, I had to intervene. I could not risk losing them.”

“You were not going to lose them. We had it—”

“Under control?” Xavier cut me off, letting out a sarcastic laugh. “If the Dark One wanted you to know about this place, he would have told you, Nephilin.” He grunted. “I swear, of all the mistakes the Fallen Stars have made, sleeping with women was the worst of them all.”

Out of anger I used my abilities to inflict pain inside of his head. With a single nonchalant movement of his right hand, he easily dodged my attack as if he could also see it coming. “I can see the red flashes that come out of you, Nephele. Do not be foolish enough to try to attack me with your cheap tricks. Your rage is your greatest weaknesses. You should learn how to control it.”

Cahir slithered closer to Xavier’s feet. “Master, I ache. Please renew my strength.” Drool poured from his mouth.

“I am fond of the name they have given you,” Xavier said as he kneeled down; Cahir’s eyes shot up toward him. “And I will gladly give you your strength back.” He held up two of his fingers and placed them onto Cahir’s throat. At his touch, Cahir’s skin opened, creating a perfectly round wound; blood flowed like a running river. He choked on his own blood, writhing on the ground in desperation.

“Bartholomew and Nylora, please come and drink.” They both walked toward the puddle of blood without hesitation. Their pace was slow and they stumbled as they walked.

They both knelt down and drank the blood that steadily poured out of Cahir’s neck.

“Cahir has served his purpose. It is time for him to meet his fate,” Xavier said as he approached Erebos and me.

I contemplated upon what I could do to escape, but in the midst of such great power, my abilities and tactics seemed inadequate.

“Do you know anything about the Book of Letters?” Xavier asked me with a grin.

“We know that the Book of Letters is not in Elysium, neither is the Book here in the Heart,” Erebos implied.

“Little brother, I am completely aware that the Book is not here.” He moved toward the Lessers, who were all standing as still as statues under his influence. “But I have been informed by our source inside of Tristar that they do not have the Book of Letters either. One of the book-bearers has possession of it. Only, the bearer of the book isn’t aware of the power of the book he carries around.”

A chill shot down my spine. The thought that the book-bearers had such a weapon in hand was frightening. An unexpected thought struck me.

“I remember when we arrived at the Prison, I saw three lines surrounded by a circle appear on the wall used to open the Prison, but the image rapidly faded,” I stated. “No one knew what the image was. Never had I seen such sighting.”

Xavier shot a worried look at Erebos and me.

“Afterward, when we headed back to Aloisio, in the middle of the battle, I found Devin, Ely and the book-bearers trying to escape,” I added.

“The book is with the book-bearers. Let’s hope they have not yet discovered the truth about the Book of Letters,” Xavier mumbled.

“Do
you
know the truth about such mysterious object?” Erebos asked.

“Yes, I do,” Xavier answered in an assertive tone. “Not only of the Book of Letters but the truth of all other books as well. Lucifer wrote all five books while he still lived in Tristar. The writings on each book are unknown and will only be unveiled once the books are opened and read by the book-bearers. He never revealed the things he had written on these books. Before Lucifer declared war against Tristar, he gathered the Stars and explained the purpose of each book.”

Xavier sighed.

“All five books are crucial in order to give Lucifer a body when he awakens. The Diary represents Lucifer’s heart, the Book of the Light Bearer holds Lucifer’s mind; the Book of the Destroyer, being the third book, represents Lucifer’s arms. The fourth book, the Book of the Enlightened, represents Lucifer’s legs, and lastly, the fifth book, the Book of the Justifier, represents Lucifer’s chest.”

“So…when they are all read, Lucifer will have a full body…” Erebos sounded surprised, his mind trying to understand this new information.

“That is why all the book-bearers need to read the writings on the books…” My voice trailed off as I spoke.

“We plan on using the Dark Exchange on the book-bearers. The same curse used to give the Lessers a mind of their own. We will try to penetrate their minds, forcing them to open and read the books,” Erebos asserted.

“That sounds like a good plan, but we need more than just a curse to do this. This is why I brought you to me!” Xavier smiled, his eyes meeting mine. “Nephele, you are not afraid of taking risks and pursuing the unachievable to obtain what your heart desires.” He placed his right hand on Erebos’ shoulder. “Whereas you, little brother, you are strong and you willingly follow Nephele’s desires. A living proof of this is how you risked so much by coming here.”

“How do we know which book-bearer holds the Book of Letters?” I asked.