Page 26

Chapter twenty-six

S ilence. An unbearable silence greeted us. I closed the portal the instant our feet hit solid ground, preventing anything that shouldn’t from escaping into the realm of the living. There was no wind. No sun. Everything was masked in a veil of gray.

We were outdoors at the cusp of an entrance that led into a deep, decaying forest. Everything around us had been drained of life. The grass, the flowers, the trees; this land was completely barren.

“Well, this wasn’t what I expected,” whispered my mother, still holding onto my hand.

“Where is … everything?” I asked.

“Don’t be fooled. I am sure there are things lurking out there that are already aware of our presence. I just don’t know what they are or what they want.”

I looked around, but the only path available to us was forward, into the dead forest.

“I don’t even know where to begin,” I admitted. I had been so focused on getting us here that I hadn’t stopped to think about how to find Talia once we crossed over.

“You two share a link, just like you do with the vessels before you. Open yourself to that link. Allow your power to reach for her. ”

I nodded, taking a step towards the entrance of the hollow trees. I closed my eyes, reaching for the power Talia and I shared. I touched the magic of Aradia, allowing it to form into a single entity. I forced the power forward, taking what I knew of Talia and what I had felt when I had pulled the magic from her bones, creating a connection between the two of us. I opened my eyes, surprised to see a small purple orb now floating in front of me.

Annalise stepped to my side, smiling with pride. “See,” she whispered. “Told you, you could do it.”

“I feel like I learn something new every day,” I laughed.

“And you will. Magic is ever changing, ever growing. The more you nurture it, the more it will give back to you. This is a gift that needs to be tamed and mended. Never forget that.”

I nodded, focusing on the purple orb. “I guess we follow it?” I asked.

“I would assume so.”

We moved forward and sure enough, the orb moved. It floated silently through the air, leading us into a forgotten forest, full of mystery. Annalise continuously scanned our surroundings, searching for any sign of life. I focused my energy on the orb, holding onto the connection that threaded Talia and me together.

An hour into walking and we still hadn’t come across anything or anyone that was living. The only sound was our footsteps crunching the brittle roots and vines that littered the floor. Nothing in the sky moved or changed. There was no sign of clouds or any light whatsoever. Everything was just … gray.

Despair began to settle deep inside of me. The hope I had clung to at the beginning of this journey was slowly beginning to fade. What was I doing, dragging my mother and myself into this situation? We didn’t even know if Talia was the key to ending Lucifer. This whole plan was concocted on a series of unknowns.

And if I failed … no, I couldn’t fail again. No one else in my life was going to die because of me. I couldn’t handle being responsible for the death of another person I loved. No matter the gain, it wasn’t worth it. The only person that would be losing their life would be me. And Lucifer.

“Seren,” my mother whispered.

I froze, realizing she was no longer beside me. Behind me, she went deathly still. I looked in the direction of her gaze, but couldn’t see a thing in the haze of gray.

“What is it?” I asked, apparently too loudly. She whipped her finger to her mouth, signaling for me to be silent. I did, focusing on my surroundings. My adrenaline began to pump through my system, filling my ears with the sound of my panicking heart beating faster with each passing second. The small hairs on the back of my neck rose, signaling we were not alone.

Something lunged from the thick wall of tangled branches and vines, pummeling my mother to the ground. I shot off a tunnel of fire, blasting the creature off her. It shrieked and cried, rolling on the dry ground, attempting to extinguish the flames.

I rushed towards Mom, pulling her from the ground. A chorus of cries and clicking noises filled the air, coming from all around us. Annalise and I went back-to-back, trying to prepare, but we were quickly surrounded. The sounds grew into a crescendo as the horde of creatures closed in around us.

Out from the trees stepped a creature. It was male, worn and tattered clothing hanging loosely from his thin figure. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on him. All his ribs and bones were visible underneath his pale, white skin. His eyes were hollow and bruised underneath. Patches of hair hung from his scalp in thin strands. His nails were jagged and uneven as his long fingers wrapped around the hilt of a makeshift knife. He growled, revealing the few yellow teeth that remained.

My mouth fell. “They’re—” I began to say.

“—human,” my mother finished.

Dozens of them poured from the tree lines, weapons aiming to attack. Annalise reared back and slammed her power into the ground, sending them hurtling back around us. I lit the edges of the perimeter with fire to act as a barrier.

“Run!” yelled my mother. Hand in hand we took off, following the purple orb of light. Ducking and diving through the rough terrain, we ran faster and faster through the gray landscape of death. The humans pursued us, running and leaping like a pack of wild animals. Some of them took to the treetops, jumping and swinging like monkeys.

I released my flame behind me, sending a massive wave of them back, burning their shriveled skin until there was nothing left but a pile of ash. Annalise latched onto my hand, siphoning my power to fuel her own. She released a massive surge of magical energy above us, just in time to repel the ones that had leaped from the treetops, aiming for a kill.

My lungs began to burn from exertion as my muscles screamed, but the adrenaline had taken over, pushing my body past its physical limit. Blast after blast of power erupted from us, but the humans just kept coming. It seemed that the more power we used, the more of them it attracted. Every time we seemed to kill one, three would take its place, falling in line behind the others in pursuit.

A clearing was ahead and we ran faster, desperate for a clear line of sight. I dodged a tree limb, following the purple orb out of the forest towards a rocky ledge. In seconds, the landscape changed from a dead forest to a dry, desert mountain scape. I looked back to see the dozens of humans had transformed into hundreds, just as my mother’s arms wrapped around my shoulders, preventing me from moving forward.

I was jolted back with force. We were now standing at the lip of a cliff. I peered over, unable to see the bottom. The purple orb just floated over the edge, calmly. I turned around, trying to assess our escape routes, but there were none. We were trapped.

“What do we do now?” I asked.

“We fight,” my mother said, with an exhilaration I hadn’t seen since before she’d had her soul returned. She took another hit of my magic, my flames becoming her own. I paired my flame with my shadows, creating black tendrils of death. The creatures paused, only for a moment, smiling as if they were looking upon their next meal. Drool and blood seeped from their lips. There wasn’t an ounce of humanity left behind their eyes.

Then they attacked. Fire, shadows, and power surged through the landscape, cracking the ground around us into pieces. I wrapped my darkness around the humans, flinging them off the cliff. My mother blazed through crowds of them, as if the flame had been her power all along. Massive ruptures of energy exploded from her, smashing into their frail bodies, shattering their bones as soon as it made contact.

I used my darkness as a weapon, slicing through their flesh, severing limbs, heads, and torsos. Kill after kill, and still they continued to emerge. The ravenous humans began to close in around us, inching closer until our footing danced along the ledge. One jumped towards my mother. With speed she turned, dodging its attack, sending it tumbling into the abyss. My mother fought with a skill I had never seen her display before now. She was truly her mother’s daughter … as was I.

One creature appeared suddenly, taking me off guard. It sank jagged teeth into my shoulder, ripping a chunk of flesh free. I slammed my fist straight through its head. Brains, blood, and tissue clung to my skin. I was going to be sick.

The creature fell as another appeared. I took the dagger from my side, slicing anything that got too close. I sent another forceful push of energy into the crowd, forcing them back, only for a second. My mother found her way to my side. Her brow was drenched with sweat and her breathing was heavy.

“I’m approaching burnout,” she said.

“I know,” I replied. The ball of purple light still floated over the edge of the cliff. There had to be another way. What was I missing?

And then, I felt it. A dark, slithering presence stretched along the mental wall of my mind. It felt cold … dry. It prowled along my barriers, searching for a way in. It approached the door I had carved out for Deus. I could feel it examining the entrance with curiosity, then it began to drive its thin essence against it.

Desperate for a way out, I opened it … just a little.

“Jump,” the voice hissed inside of my mind.

“What?” I said out loud.

“Jump, you stupid girl!” it yelled.

Exhaustion was overtaking my mother. “Trust me,” I said, extending my hand to her. Without hesitation, she took it. I turned us towards the edge of the cliff, and we leaped into the darkness that promised to swallow us whole.

The humans jumped after us, so desperate for something to eat that they were willing to risk their lives for a single bite. My mother and I clung to each other, the wind ripped from our lungs as we plunged to our deaths.

A enormous wave of power rammed me forward, freezing me in place. My grip tightened onto my mother as gravity continued to pull her into the darkness. I yelled, my shoulder popping out of place as I supported her weight.

“Hold on,” I called down to her, still suspended in midair. The bodies of the human creatures continued to fall around us. Behind me, a bright white static power encased me. It was coming from the wall of the cliff, but I couldn’t see who was its master.

I groaned, my sweaty palm slipping from Annalise’s grip. I reached down with my other hand, locking my fingers around her wrist. The white magic began to pull us towards the rocky side of the cliff. As we approached a small cave opening carved into the jagged wall, I used the little strength I had left to swing my mother into the mouth of the opening, before the magic finally dropped me to the ground.

The impact rattled my bones, causing my shoulder to scream in pain. I cradled it with my hand, rolling to my back. Annalise was there in an instant, examining my injury.

“Where did it come from?” I whispered through my teeth.

“What?” replied Mom.

“The magic … where did the magic come from? Someone is here. We’re not alone.”

Mom’s eyes snapped back into the darkness of the cave as a figure stepped from the shadows into the faint light. Her frame was frail and lean, barely able to hold the tattered scraps of cloth that clung to her body. Her hair was a heap of tangled white curls, long and unkept. I couldn’t make out the shade of her eyes, but her cheeks were sunken, revealing the sharp edges of her jaw and cheekbones.

Scratches and wounds marred her skin from her face all the way down to her bare feet. No weapons were visible, but I had a feeling she didn’t need any to protect herself. A ring made of a thin gold band that bore a white stone sat on her left ring finger. I looked back into her empty eyes.

“Talia,” I whispered, pulling myself to a sitting position. Her eyes flicked from Annalise to me, pausing when she focused on my shoulder.

“You’re hurt,” she replied in a dry and raspy voice.

“My shoulder,” I replied. “I’m pretty sure I dislocated it.”

She knelt in front of me, extending her hands. My mother lunged forward, placing herself in between Talia and me. Talia held Annalise’s gaze, cold and unfeeling.

“Move,” Talia demanded.

“What are you going to do?” Mom asked.

“Mend her shoulder,” she replied. “If I wanted her dead, I would have let her fall.”

Mom slowly moved to my side, still on alert. Talia placed her hands around my shoulder and, without warning, snapped it back into place. I yelped, feeling the bones grind against each other.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t use anymore magic,” she said. “It will attract the ammit.”

“The what?” asked my mother.

“The ammit. The creatures above,” answered Talia.

“What are they?” I asked. “They look human.”

“They are … but not. Their souls have been sent here to atone for sins that have kept them from heaven’s gates, but not rendered them completely lost. But once you enter Purgatory, yo ur humanity, your desire for life, is stripped from you slowly. This reveals what a soul’s true intentions are. When a person is left only with their baser instincts, you will see the true morality of the being. As I am sure you’ve seen, this plane is dead. Nothing grows; nothing thrives. Every ounce of life is extracted, leaving something that was once beautiful and thriving little more than a husk.”

“So … what do they eat?” I asked, fearing I already knew the answer.

“Each other,” she replied coldly.

“And what do you eat?” mom asked.

“I use my magic to conjure food in small portions at a time,” she explained. “Our magic, since it pulls from our life force, alerts the ammit of our presence, so I have to be careful about when and how much magic I use.”

“Are you the only person with magic here?” I asked.

“Yes. Purgatory wasn’t created to hold our kind. This plane is for the human souls only who are attempting to atone for the sins they committed on the earthly plane. Their last attempt at entering the gates of heaven.”

“Then … how are you here?” I replied.

“That is a long story, and one I am willing to tell once we are free from this place,” she said, returning to her feet. “I am surprised you came for me. I had my doubts.”

Annalise pulled me up, keeping a secured hand on my back.

“Before I open the gate,” I said, cradling my arm, “I need assurance that you are who you claim, and that you can do what you say.”

Her eyes burrowed into me. Something like annoyance flickered behind them. “I am Talia Mizrahi. I was enslaved by Pharaoh, as were my people, from birth. Once freed from our chains by God’s ‘chosen one’, Moses, I met Lucifer along our journey.”

“Okay, so you know Lucifer,” I said. “That doesn’t mean you know how to defeat him.”

Her eyebrow arched as her jaw clenched. “I know how to stop him because I was the one that created the cage. My coven and I, that is.”

“A cage?” I asked.

“Yes,” she replied. “A cage that is powerful enough to hold even the most dangerous prince of Hell.”

“And what coven do you belong to?” asked Annalise.

Talia’s eyes shifted to my mother in a predatory fashion. “Obsidian,” Talia answered. My heart dropped into my stomach. “I am the first coven elder of Obsidian.”

“We’re leaving,” demanded my mother, pulling me back to the edge of the cave.

Talia began to laugh. “After that reaction, I expect the coven is still operational?”

“They are under the command of Lucifer,” I admitted.

Talia’s face went slack. “What?” she growled. “ He has taken command of my legacy. My life’s work!”

“How do you cage him?” I asked again, desperate for the answer that would end all of this.

She took a moment, gathering herself. “My coven and I created a magical device that would aid us with entrapping him. It is buried deep in the desert of Phut.”

“Phut?” my mother whispered, trying to decipher the time gap. “Libya. The Libyan Desert.”

“How does the cage work?” I asked.

“The cage is fully functioning,” she answered. “ All it needs is a power source. The life of a god.”

I swallowed, realizing what she was saying. A small smile lifted in the right corner of her mouth.

“Don’t worry, girl,” she said, as if she could read my mind. “I plan on sacrificing myself to power the cage. I’ve waited long enough for this moment. No one else will get the honor of stripping him of his beloved power but me.”

“So, you’re still … alive in here?” I asked.

“Yes,” she replied. “Even though my body was left on earth when I sacrificed myself, my soul remained here. When we return to your home plane, I will be able to use my magic to regenerate my physical form, thanks to the bones you used to create the gate.”

“And how did you know your bones wouldn’t be destroyed?” I asked.

She smiled. “I placed a preservation spell over my bones before I died.”

And Lucifer had kept them in his castle—but why?

“How did you get here?” mom asked.

“That is a part of a longer story I will share once you free me from this plane.”

I took a moment to consider the little parts of information she had willingly shared. There were so many gaps in her story and unanswered questions. On top of that, she was the founder of the Obsidian coven. How was I supposed to trust her?

“ You don’t have to ,” Talia said, mind to mind. I checked all my walls around my mind for any holes, but the structure was sound. She smiled. “ Once you let me in, I no longer have to be invited ,” she explained. “ But you have nothing to worry about from me, little tribrid. I mean you no harm. My qualm is with Lucifer, no one else .”

“You must swear to me,” I said, taking a step forward, “that no harm will come to anyone except Lucifer and his demons or those who work for him. No one else … including any other demon that was sired from the other six Princes of Hell.”

She cocked her head, her eyes squinting into slits, assessing me from head to toe. Slowly, Talia extended her hand, drawing a finger along the side of my face. Her irises flashed to a soft purple like my own, before submerging into an inky blackness as mine did when I accessed the demonic power.

She pulled away, her eyes clearing back to a deep brown color that could have been mistaken for black. A devious smile stretched across her face. “So that was why I was able to make contact with you.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked.

“Lust, huh?” she replied, standing uncomfortably close. “Never had the pleasure of meeting that one, but I can only assume he’s quite the spectacle.”

“How did you—”

“How long ago was the mating bond completed?” she interrupted. “Time works a little differently here, so I am not sure how much time has passed since I first arrived, but based on your attire, I assume it’s been a few centuries.”

“Try a few millennia,” said my mother.

“Millennia?” Talia asked, despair laced in her tone. “What year is it?”

“2025 ADC,” I answered, feeling sorry for her. She blinked in confusion. “It’s been at least three thousand years since you lived.”

“And how many vessels have been born before you?”

“Only four.”

“No,” she said, shaking her head. “That isn’t right. It should have been every three hundred years. Di was very specific when she created the magical loophole.”

“Di?” my mother asked.

“Aradia … the goddess,” Talia answered, looking at my mother with confusion.

“You knew her?” I exclaimed.

“She is … was my best friend,” Talia said, a hint of sorrow in her tone.

“Until a few weeks ago,” I explained, “we didn’t even know you existed. We thought another vessel named Valeriana was the first in the year 800.”

“It appears I’ve been away longer than I had accounted for,” she said, then looked directly into my eyes. “I swear to bring no harm to you or those who aid you in the fight against Lucifer. I promise, the only one I will destroy is Lucifer and his loathsome pride.”

The walls of the cave began to tremble. Small pieces of rock shook loose, falling around us. Talia ran to the mouth of the cavern, looking towards the top. “They sensed my magic,” she said, moving from the opening in a hurry. “We have mere seconds before we become their dinner.”

I looked at my mom, still hesitant. She gave me a small smile and nodded. I turned back to Talia, taking a deep breath in. This decision would either be the catalyst of our entire effort to rid the world of Lucifer for good, or she would be our undoing.

“Let’s go home,” I said.

Talia’s smile grew. Terror rattled through my bones at the sight. This woman possessed an evil only matched by the devil we were trying to slay. I sent up a small prayer to God that she wouldn’t betray us. Perhaps to destroy one evil, we must embrace another.

“Good,” she said. The sounds of the cannibals grew, screeches and screams desperate for their pound of flesh. “How fast can you get the portal up?”

“I just need a few moments,” I said, focusing on the back wall of the cave.

“That maybe all we have,” commented Mom, readying for a fight.

“What power do you possess, witch?” Talia asked my mother.

“I’m a siphon,” Annalise answered.

Talia laughed and approached her. “Well, prepare yourself for one hell of a power rush,” she said, placing her hands on either side of Annalise’s face. Mom’s body extended as Talia’s power flooded her system. Annalise’s face glowed a heavenly white as her body shook. Finally, Talia released her.

Annalise took a deep breath. Her eyes flashed from Talia, then to me. “You’re a—” started Mom.

“Ah, ah, ah,” interrupted Talia, winking at her. “Story time begins when we are back in the world of the living.” She turned back to me, lighting her flame. “Anytime would be nice, tribrid.”

I nodded, forcing my magic into my center and forming it into the gate that would lead us home. That would lead me back to Deus. The gate began to appear, brick by brick, as the hordes of creatures ascended into the mouth of the cave. The sound of magic boomed all around me, but I focused on my task. The creatures shrieked as blood splattered all around us.

Finally, as the last brick clicked into place at the top of the arch, I pushed the last ounce of power needed to fuel the gate, causing it to glow with power.

“It’s done,” I yelled, turning to see the mouth of the cave completely engulfed with the bodies of the tormented.

“Get ready to run, witch,” Talia said to my mother. The door to the gate opened. I watched in awe while Talia gathered all her power into a mass in front of her. The power glowed as her body began to tremble from the exertion. Demonic power seeped from her, filling the cavern around us. The walls trembled as if they, too, feared what she was.

Annalise let go of her own power, dashing towards me in a dead sprint. Talia began to scream, still holding the power between her hands as it grew. Finally, she thrust her arms towards the creatures. A blinding white light unleashed.

I felt it then: the familiar calling her power sang, as if it was a part of me. The way … the way Lucifer’s power called to my own.

The magic slammed into the creatures, incinerating them all into mist. Blood sprayed around us, the only remains left of the souls trapped in this plane. The walls around us broke apart, sending boulders tumbling down around us. Talia turned towards the gate; her face soaked in the blood of her victims. A warm, sticky residue slid down my cheeks, soaking my clothing. I looked down; I was completely covered in blood.

“Now,” Talia yelled, running towards us. Annalise took my hand, hurtling us through the gate. I hit the floor, the impact rattling every one of my bones. A third thump hit the ground near us. At that sound, I forced my good arm forward, absorbing the power of the gate before any other creature followed us through.