Another week would pass after that afternoon.
We couldn't deny that all of us had a bad feeling about the quiet that had settled around us. Things like this shouldn't be so quiet for so long.
Sitting outside on the bench swing that afternoon, I rubbed my belly and took in the serenity around me, doing my best to enjoy it. Yet my mind kept flashing back to that Angel we'd met right after I'd gotten there. While I didn't really think that he'd been there to cause any trouble, I did worry about what he had said once he'd returned to wherever he'd come from. It also wasn't helping that I still didn't feel completely comfortable where I was.
I couldn't say that the others were unfriendly to any of us, but I still felt like we didn't fit in that well. The only one who really had become comfortable there was Zane, but even he was having a few small problems. Sean still wasn't that keen about him being around Mia like he was, though it seemed like the two were just rekindling an old friendship. Chris and I wondered if some of this animosity stemmed from Sean feeling like there was a threat to his status as Mia's husband. He had obviously known about Zane and Mia's past together. Maybe he was worried that Mia might decide to leave him and go back to Zane.
But I didn't think that this friendship was such a threat now. At least, not with the way that Zane had been getting closer to Kira.
Since that afternoon the week before, the two had begun talking and hanging out a lot more. It was obvious that Kira really liked him. The only little hitch with that was her brother Mark, who didn't seem to like her interest in Zane. I reasoned that maybe he was worried about Zane getting her into trouble with his feelings, but he didn't stop her from seeing him either. Maybe he knew that he couldn't. At least, not if Kinsley was okay with it, which he certainly seemed to be.
I was brought back to reality as someone sat beside me, and looked over to see that it was Zane.
"I was wondering where you were." he greeted me.
"Oh, hey." I responded, sitting up straighter, "I didn't know that you were coming out."
"I was a bit bored, so I thought that you might like some company. Where is Chris by the way? I would've thought that he'd be out here with you." Zane noted as he looked around us.
"He's inside with Kinsley. He said that he wanted to talk to him about a few things, but he didn't tell what they were." I answered.
Well, that was what I told him. The truth was that Chris was feeling uneasy again. Those three Seraphs tended to keep a lot of things to themselves at times, and he wanted to be sure about what was currently going on. He just turned to Kinsley because he was the Seraph we felt most comfortable speaking to. Not that we minded talking to Micah or Malakai. Kinsley was just the one we knew best right now.
Zane nodded, "It doesn't surprise me. I think that they're concerned about worrying you too much. At least, I know Chris is."
"Maybe, but I still don't like being kept in the dark. It's not fair. I'm the one who's going to give birth to this baby, and I want to know everything to keep him safe too." I complained.
"I understand."
Zane looked towards the trees. It was very calm out there, with only the sound of the birds singing and the occasional chirp of crickets. The bright sunlight was filtering through the branches of the large tree that the swing was sitting under, and a slight breeze had begun blowing. All of this reminded me of when Chris and I had first met.
The sound of Zane speaking brought me out of this revelry, "But you know, they are a bit concerned at this point too. Apparently, something big is in the works from those Angels that are siding with Judiel. I heard about it from Michael. He's a bit on edge too, along with those other Nephilim."
This was news to me. It seemed that at least Michael was willing to trust Zane enough to speak to him about what was going on.
"What did Michael say?" I asked him.
"He didn't know that much, but he's heard enough to make him nervous. The biggest thing he says he's worried about is that Judiel is supposedly getting ready to send out three very high-level angels to make a strike against us and get to you. He doesn't want you dead either. He wants you brought back to him." Zane explained.
"But why would he want that? Is it because he's after this baby?"
A shiver went up my spine as I said that. If Judiel was planning something like that, then this may have been worse than we thought.
"I don't know for sure and neither do they. All they really know is that Judiel wants this child for his own purposes, but none of them are willing to let that happen. Even if you don't think so, all of them really like us. They don't see us as different from them, even with the darkness that we were born under. I'll admit that it's been a bit humbling for me too. I've always thought in the back of my mind that I would hate these Nephilim if I ever got the chance to meet them and vice versa, but it hasn't been that way at all. In fact, I'd dare say that it kind of feels like meeting old friends." Zane confessed.
I agreed, "It's strange to think about, isn't it? I haven't even been a Shadow Wing that long, but I thought I wouldn't like them either. They were born different from us. They haven't been hunted and hated like we've been, but now that I've gotten to meet them, it doesn't feel that way at all. They actually are a lot like us, and they want to help us."
"Perhaps we've been reading things wrong, although I will admit that some of it has come from our fathers. My own father had always warned me against them, saying that there would be nothing but hatred between our sides. I was born dark, and I should always remain dark; but now that I think about it, that's just how he is. I don't have to remain dark anymore." Zane reasoned.
I watched him as he said that, thinking about how Chris, Saffron and my wings had all changed.
"Have your wings changed too?" I had to ask him.
"They have. Would you like to see?" Zane offered.
I nodded, watching as he leaned forward and took off the shirt over his tank top to allow his wings to come out. Just like ours, they were no longer black. They were now a beautiful shade of violet.
I touched the feathers of the one closest to me, "I guess this was the color your father was under."
"It seems so, though I doubt that Astaroth will ever tell me. I'm also certain that he won't allow himself to ever be purified. But I'm beginning to think that at least Saffron is willing to do so. In fact, I'm beginning to wonder if perhaps he's made that his goal now." Zane admitted.
"You really think he wants that?"
Zane pulled in his wings and slipped his shirt back over his tank top, "I couldn't tell you for sure, considering the fact that Saffron is one who guards his secrets well, but it is an odd feeling that I've had since all of this began. He would not have allowed himself to get this much purification if he didn't intend to have something more with this. He'd probably act out as Jade did. But he worked himself up to getting close again and allowed the purifying light to come into him. For a Fallen to do that, they must be at least considering some redemption within them. That, or they're planning something big of their own in regard to it."
I felt the baby moving inside of me. It made me wonder if Lennox was completely integrated into them now. Was he even aware of being in my womb, or was his consciousness now gone, erased with this new life?
I could sense Zane watching me, "You know, it's still a bit odd for me to see you pregnant." he added.
"You and Chris have said that a lot lately, but I'm still a girl you know." I reminded them.
Zane laughed, "Yes, I'm well aware of that and so is Chris. But what we mean is that it's never happened with a female Shadow Wing before, and to add to that, this will be the only time that it ever does. Even if this child is harboring a Seraphita's soul, he's still the child of two Shadow Wings. I admit that I do wonder exactly how this angel timed this though. He must have been watching things pretty closely, considering he needed both you and Chris to create him."
I felt the blush creep over my cheeks. Of course Zane would bring up such a personal thing without hesitation.
"That's a really personal subject Zane." I managed to remind him.
"I know, I know. But to me it's always been the birds and the bees, to put it in more childish terms. Procreation is part of life, and is no different in any of the worlds, although that might not be the exact case for the Heavens and Hells. I wouldn't know, considering that I know very little about either. But I do know that the creation of life for both sides of the Nephilim has always been the same, as is birth. The only difference here is both what you and Chris are and what this child technically will be." Zane explained.
"You really think he'll be that different?" I had to ask, looking at my belly again.
"Don't know. I know he'll be powerful, and maybe he'll tap into it while he's still an infant, but there's a lot of grey areas in this, even for those Seraphs that are trying to help us. Most don't know that much about the Seraphita, and this has never happened before with any of them." Zane continued.
I nodded, closing my eyes for a moment. A part of me had developed a habit of this lately when I thought about this baby. A lot of times I tried to imagine what he'd look like, but I could never quite envision it.
Still, sitting there now, I thought about what had happened with the Sapphire Nephilim too. Chris and I had overheard them talking about another powerful child among them too. I had to ask him about it.
"Hey Zane, do you know about a child that was recently born to the Sapphire clan? Chris and I heard them saying something about him maybe being more on the powerful side too." I spoke up.
Zane hesitated, "I think I know which one you're referring to, but to be honest with you, the story that Michael told me was rather disturbing." he admitted.
"Disturbing? How?"
"How in the world should I explain it?" Zane wondered out loud, "Well, I suppose that it may be best to do it in the way that Michael did. It wasn't an easy story for him to tell. From what he said, there was another opening in the family for a birth. That opening had remained for five years prior, although it should've been filled rather quickly, considering that there were couples within the family who could've conceived. Unfortunately, they ended up finding out that the reason it didn't seem to be happening was because there had been a child born shortly after the death of a Nephilim that was having their spot filled. This child was actually created from a stolen feather of one of the Renaldis that a Grigori used for himself to impregnate a woman that he was holding captive."
"A Grigori? But why would it need a feather from one of the Nephilim? They're still Fallen, right?"
"They are, but the Grigori are a special case. Most have had their reproductive abilities stripped in the last hundred years. I couldn't quite tell you why this was. It's something that most Shadow Wings simply are not privileged to know. However, this Grigori was quite twisted, and he found a way around this reproductive issue by using this feather to somehow reproduce the DNA sequence of that particular Nephilim. It's all quite complicated, so that's the best terms that I can put it in for you." Zane explained.
"I guess I get it. At least I get some of it. But why did he do that? It couldn't have been for anything good with how you're talking." I pointed out.
"No, it most certainly was not." Zane agreed, "According to Michael, this Grigori accelerated the growth on the child and abused him quite frequently, actually ripping off his wings to make sure that he couldn't fly. The family eventually did find him when he managed to run away. Needless to say, they managed to eliminate that Grigori and the boy now lives with his rightful father. He is a bit more powerful than most of the others though, considering the way he was created."
I could feel my stomach knotting as he told me about this little boy and what had happened to him. While I'd heard horror stories about child abuse before, it was always hard for me to imagine actually seeing the results of it. Hearing about this poor Nephilim child who'd had his wings ripped off was sickening.
Zane gently rubbed my back, "I know how you're feeling hearing about that, but you don't need to dwell on it. When the Grigori was killed, the child's life was reverted back to a newborn, so he has no memory of any of that torture. He also has his wings again." he added.
"That's good. At least he doesn't have to remember any of that." I breathed.
"Yes. I was glad to hear that as well." Zane agreed.
The two of us fell silent, looking at the swaying leaves on the nearby trees. I could feel the baby shifting inside of me again. He'd been pretty active lately.
"But you know, I still agree with Carroll. I believe that this child is a boy." Zane spoke up, effectively changing the subject.
"You too huh?"
"It just feels like it to me, and it seems that Chris thinks the same. He's been unsure about it for a while, but now he's almost convinced. What about you?" Zane continued.
"I think so. It's always felt like it to me." I answered.
The two of us heard the front door to the house open. Looking over there, we saw Chris coming out. He wasn't alone either. With him were Mark and Carlton. The three were talking as they walked towards us.
I didn't know that much about either of these Nephilim yet. Carlton had been around but tended to be with Carroll when we saw him. I knew that he was Carroll's twin, and I had to say that he definitely looked a lot like him, but his personality seemed pretty different from his brother's. Where Carroll was reserved and seemed refined, Carlton was happy and carefree. It seemed like nothing for him to go out and fly to the top of the trees to look out at the roads and mountains around the house.
But when he did that, we'd first gotten to see that he did indeed have a severely damaged looking wing. He was still able to use it fairly well, considering the fact that he could still fly, but it had several spots that were scabbed over and missing feathers. The upper portion of it was crooked where it seemed like the bones had once been broken and never set right too.
Seeing that for the first time, I'd immediately been reminded of the vision that I'd seen of him and Carroll. It was obvious that Carlton had made a huge sacrifice in order to save his brother's life. Thankfully he'd been able to heal enough to live somewhat normally. At least, what was normal for ones like us.
Mark Martell was another story when it came to who he was and how he reacted to us. From what we'd come to know, he was Kinsley's son, and the oldest of the Martell Nephilim. He was a very handsome man with golden hair that swept around an elegantly curved face and light violet eyes. He was usually dressed nicely too in slacks and dress shirts. It was easy to tell that he was very particular about how he looked and took good care of himself.
But he also seemed to be the most careful of the group. He wasn't that keen on us being there at all when we'd first met him. In fact, he'd voiced his worries that afternoon when we'd first arrived. He'd been concerned that involving themselves with us may be inviting more trouble than they could handle. But Kinsley had quickly assauged his fears.
"We have a strength in these numbers, and we do not intend to allow any to be harmed so long as it can be helped."
I didn't think that Mark bought that one, but he didn't argue against it. He'd simply had to accept Kinsley's words about it. But we still felt a bit of animosity from him whenever he saw us, and he didn't speak much to us. Chris wasn't too happy over that, especially since the others had at least tried to be friendly, but he'd left it alone. As far as he was concerned, one of them not liking us was no big deal.
"I see you've decided to keep her company." Chris noted as they came over to us.
"I couldn't see why not. It can get lonely by yourself out here." Zane responded, smiling at them like he always did.
"No kidding, but it can get interesting when you find different stuff to check out. These woods are good for that." Carlton told us. He was being as friendly as always. I had the feeling that it was just his nature.
Mark wasn't so easy going, "Maybe, but you need to be careful about all of that too. You heard what they said."
"I think you're worrying too much. If they're going to strike, then they're going to strike. We just have to make sure that we're ready for it when they do." Carlton countered.
"There's no way around that, but you've got a point. It's better to be prepared for anything." Chris added, looking over at Mark.
Mark let out an exhausted sigh, "Yeah. I guess you all would know about that. You've had your backs to the wall a lot more than we've ever had. That really sucks."
"Ah, so you do have a sentimental side towards us." Zane commented.
"I never said that I didn't, but maybe I've given the wrong impression with all of this too. It's just that I really don't like the thought of some of us being dragged into this. I don't mind helping you all, and I sure as hell don't mind protecting this kid, but I've told Kinsley that it's not a good idea for Kira and Mia to be here. Even though they can fight back, they're not as strong as us, and on top of that, Kira's been through enough in the last twenty years. It's not that I think it's anything bad with you being around her, but this whole situation might not be too good for her mentally." Mark explained.
Now I was starting to get the picture. Mark wasn't against us being there. He was being protective of his sister and friend. But his words about Kira were what caught my attention the most.
"Did something happen to her before?" I asked him.
Mark tensed up, though he tried to hide it, "It's not really something we should talk about right now. No offense, but it's more between our family because it's very personal." he responded.
"I guess I could get that, and I get what you mean about trying to protect her and Mia too. These two have always been trying to protect me." I told him.
"And she never really listens to us. I'm going to guess that you have the same kinds of problems." Chris added.
"No kidding. Kira never listens to me or the twins. She's always done things on her own. She's even managed to befriend the Vampire King because of that. Who the hell would've thought a Vampire like that would be friends with a Nephilim?" Mark scoffed.
"So we've heard. That's quite a fear for anyone, especially a female Nephilim." Zane commented.
Mark agreed, "Yeah. We didn't know about it at first, but Kira admitted that she'd managed to find him when we were in Venice checking up on some stuff with them. His name's Dante, and he's also got a brother that leads under him named Alabaster. They don't really cause a lot of trouble though, and I guess having Kira as their friend doesn't hurt either in keeping things civil between us and their kind."
"It is incredible to think about. For as many times as I've lived in Venice, I've never even heard that they were there, and I had gotten the chance to meet quite a few Vampires in those times. They certainly do guard their secrets well." Zane commented.
I was about to say something to that when I realized that our surroundings had become silent. The guys noticed it too. Chris held his right hand out, his sword appearing in it with a quick flash of green light. The blade wasn't black like before. Now it was an emerald green.
Zane helped me up as Carlton brought out his wings and flew into the air a few feet above where we'd been standing.
"Hey, it's getting really dark up ahead! Something's coming!" he called.
"Get down here before it decides to strike!" Mark ordered. He turned to Zane, "Get her inside! We'll handle this!"
We didn't have any time to move before a huge chasm of darkness came hurdling out of the woods. I saw Carlton shield himself like Carroll had back on the highway as he landed near us. Chris and Zane also moved to shield me with their own power. Mark flew up in that same instant, throwing out a large blast of violet light that took the form of a funnel that caught the energy then threw it back towards its source.
"Wow." I whispered.
Although I'd seen Chris similar things, I'd never thought that a clan Nephilim could be that strong. Maybe we were underestimating them.
The creator of that dark blast was finally coming. A black mass flew down from high in the air, landing so hard on the ground a few feet from us that they left an indent in it. It slowly took on a more human-like form. My eyes widened as I saw who it was. I would have known that pale, cruel face anywhere.
It was the demon Astaroth.
Mark flew down with Carlton, and the two stood near us. Both were on guard now, no doubt sensing exactly what this monster was.
Zane scowled, moving towards him.
"Hey, what are you doing?!" Mark demanded.
"Stay back. I'm going to handle him." Zane ordered.
There was a quiet anger seeping into his voice. It had always been this way between him and Astaroth. Every time the two saw each other, it always ended in a fight. This time would be no different in that aspect, although I had a feeling that this fight would be a lot more personal with me and the baby involved. Clearly Astaroth had come there seeking us. After all this time, there could be no other reason behind his sudden appearance.
"Do as he says and stay on guard." Chris warned them as he made sure to keep me close beside him with his sword still ready, "This demon is his father."
Carlton immediately looked back at the Fallen standing only a few feet away from us, "That's Zane's father?!" he said in disbelief.
"Indeed I am, but I would not expect young half breeds to know such a thing, especially given the disappointment that this last one has become." Astaroth intoned. He crossed his arms with his hands holding his elbows, regarding Zane with distain.
"You call me a failure, yet you still keep coming after me. You know that there are three Seraphs here that will not take kindly to your presence, yet you have come to cause nothing but destruction." Zane countered.
Astaroth chuckled, "You think I do not realize such? I was once just like them. However, I also know how to cause enough chaos to keep them far too occupied to even think of trying to help you. As it is, I do not need any more to do with you. Your blood is now purified, so we share no further connection. I've come here because I want that girl and the child that grows within her, and I intend to take them."
"Like hell you will!" Chris yelled.
Mark and Carlton glanced back towards the house, but we couldn't even see it from where we were. What in the world had Astaroth done here? I hadn't imagined that he had this much power.
But maybe I should've expected it with the Fallen like him. Being so high up in the ranks of Hell, they must have had something particularly strong to them, just as the Seraphs did in the Heavens.
Mark looked at Chris, "All right Liam. What now?" he demanded.
"We keep him away from Ariana and let Zane handle him. Don't underestimate him. These two have had a long-standing fight between each other, and this might actually settle it once and for all." Chris told him.
Zane was still standing about three feet from Astaroth, remaining cautious as he watched for any sudden movements.
"It seems that you'll never allow them to change you back. Why am I not surprised? I'm going to bet that you're fighting against all of this with everything you have, especially for losing me. But I am not sorry for it. I'm finally free of you, and I will never have to follow you again to save my own skin." he finally said.
Astaroth's red eyes narrowed. He lunged forward at incredible speed, grabbing Zane by the throat and lifting him into the air.
"You little bastard! You would defy me after everything I've done for you!?" he growled.
"Zane!" I called. Chris grabbed my arm so that I couldn't move forward.
But it looked like Zane wasn't about to be pushed around anymore. He brought out his wings, the surge of violet power violently pushing Astaroth back. He managed to catch himself, sliding with his left hand and feet on the ground and leaving a deep trail in the dirt.
At the same time, the shadows around us were rising and forming into black figures that were quickly surrounding us. They reminded me of the Shades that we'd seen before, although they were formed more like people with large, claw like hands.
Carlton formed a glowing green whip in his left hand, "Keep them away from the girl! We'll handle them!" he called.
Chris agreed as Carlton and Mark prepared to take on the shadow people that were moving in on us. Mark had formed a sword similar to Chris's and was just as good with one. In an effortless lunge, he'd cut through three of the shadow people, sending them screaming back into the ground.
Carlton was doing the same, flying up and landing in the middle of the group of them, swinging the whip in a circle around him, taking them out within seconds. But it seemed like as quickly as they were vanquished, more would rise up from the darkened ground.
"What are they?!" I asked Chris as he sliced through one that rose up in front of us.
"They're Astaroth's shadows. That's all these things are. He's playing as dirty as possible with this fight." Chris growled.
He glanced at Zane, who was still fighting with Astaroth. He had brought out his spear and was currently holding Astaroth back. I held my belly, feeling an intense tightness within it. I sensed that the baby was becoming afraid. Could he have sensed what was happening to us?
I didn't have much of a chance to think about it as I suddenly felt a coldness clamp around my right ankle. I screamed as I looked down at the black hand wrapped around it. It had come from underground and was trying to pull me down.
Chris cursed loudly, turning and slicing it off at the wrist. The hand turned to ash as it fell to the ground.
"We can't stay here! They're going to surround us!" he said, looking around us again. It didn't look like there was any way out of this darkness. We were trapped.
"Then I don't have a choice. I have to fight!" I declared, bringing out my own spear. To my shock, it disappeared as soon as I did, and a strong feeling of weakness swept through me.
"Hey!" Chris grabbed me before I could fall.
I managed to hold onto him as he helped me stand. As I did, he used his other arm to slice through three more of the shadows lunging at us, then swung the sword down to create a barrier of green flames in front of us.
"I can't bring anything out!" I managed.
"It must be the kid. He's taking all of your energy now." Chris reasoned.
He looked around us as the flames died down and cursed under his breath again. We could see that Carlton and Mark were having a hard time with these shadows too. They'd been backed into a corner by them, standing back-to-back as the shadow people surrounded them.
Near us, Zane had been pinned to a tree with Astaroth's hand around his throat. His nails were digging into his skin.
"Looks like Nephilim still aren't a match for the masters. It's a pity. You were so useful for so long." Astaroth was saying.
Zane tried to struggle against his grip, but it wasn't working. We could see blood starting to seep down the front of his shirt from where Astaroth was continuing to dig his claws into his neck.
"Zane!" I yelled.
He couldn't die now. Zane was finally finding some happiness in his life. It wasn't fair for him to lose it all before he could even experience it.
We all tensed up as the air around us suddenly changed. An ear-splitting rumbling sounded, and in an instant, all of the shadow people were sliced up with a burst of dark blue light that came up from the ground in waves that filled the entire area. Chris shielded me as we dove down, and I could see Mark and Carlton diving to the ground as well to get out of the way.
After what seemed like forever, which was probably only a few seconds, the light faded away. Chris and I slowly looked up to see a figure appearing from the dark blue shadows that had risen in front of us. I couldn't believe my eyes.
Saffron had come to help us.
Astaroth stopped abruptly, his gaze shifting to Saffron as he held Zane in place, "It seems that you were still able to break through my barrier. You traitor." he growled.
"You misjudge me. Just because I have gotten a little bit of purification doesn't mean I'm not still dark within my soul." Saffron bragged. His wings were out, and his own shadows were licking at his feet like they were eagerly awaiting his command.
Mark and Carlton stood up and watched Saffron warily, not knowing what he was planning on doing there. Even in the time he'd been around there, none of the clan Nephilim were anywhere near trusting of his presence.
Chris slowly stood up with me, taking a few cautious steps back, "You've got some timing." he remarked.
Saffron smiled at him, "I'm known for such things, but I cannot allow any harm to come to my only child or the one that she is now carrying. That would ruin too many things, wouldn't it?"
Astaroth slowly let Zane go. He fell to the ground holding his throat as his father turned to face Saffron, but he was unable to try and move against him because as soon as he landed there were shadows wrapping around his legs and his free arm, effectively holding him to the ground. Astaroth apparently hadn't forgotten what had happened the last time when Zane had ambushed him from behind and run his spear through his throat.
"You will challenge me again? You're a foolish one." Astaroth warned as he took a few steps towards him.
"Really now? As I recall it, I won our last bout." Saffron countered.
As he said that, Astaroth suddenly disappeared, then reappeared in front of him, grabbing the front of his shirt and jerking him forward.
"And I will make you pay for that humiliation! I was not fighting you seriously then! I will not hold back this time!" he declared.
Saffron just continued to smile, "Then bring it on. I'll tear you apart this time and make sure that you cannot escape Hell for the next thousand years." he threatened back.
Chris pulled me back against him, flapping his wings hard and flying upwards to one of the nearby thick tree branches. It was just in time too, because Saffron had pulled one of his tricks and sent a sharp spike of shadow up from the ground at Astaroth. It nicked him across his cheek, but he'd moved before it could do any real damage.
Both sides brought up their shadows to use against one another, with Astaroth's forming a large axe in his hand and Saffron's forming a sword. I turned back to Chris, holding onto him tightly. I couldn't watch this fight, especially when I feared Saffron being hurt again. It had happened before, although not by Astaroth, and I didn't know for certain just how strong he truly was now that he'd been at least a little bit purified.
But Saffron seemed just as quick as he'd always been. He easily dodged Astaroth's swings, holding up his sword to stop the axe whenever it came down at him. The smile remained on his face as he pushed it away, the shadows around him lashing up to clash with Astaroth's own. The two hit hard, leaving deep craters in the ground around them.
"You've gotten a bit slower on me. Is this because deep inside you do not want to stop what is coming?" Saffron asked him as the shadows let up a little.
Astaroth snarled at him, swinging the axe down at his shoulder. Saffron just barely dodged it, and the blade tore off a portion of his black sleeve. I could see a large red scrap over his skin.
But Astaroth wasn't done. In a flash of movement, he'd grabbed Saffron, holding him from behind with the blade of the axe to his throat.
"You'd dare question such a thing? I have not spent thousands of years cultivating the perfect half breed to have them taken away by one mere angel!" he snarled.
"Is that so? Well, it seems we've reached an impasse, for I will not allow all of these careful plans that I've laid out throughout the centuries to be ruined." Saffron responded.
He rammed his sword deep into the abdomen of the demon that was holding him. Astaroth slowly let him go, his axe disappearing as he stumbled back and fell to the ground, grasping the bleeding wound.
Astaroth growled, his eyes glowing red in his fury, "Enough of this! I will end your existence right here and now, along with that girl's!" he yelled, slamming his free hand onto the ground in front of him.
Chris held me tight against him. I looked back to see a mass of darkness rising up high into the air like a flaming tidal wave, which came sweeping across the ground towards us and Saffron. Instinctively I knew that it was going to be way too large and powerful for any of us to avoid or block.
"No!" I heard Chris yell as he wrapped me in his arms and wings to shield me.
But the blow never came. Instead, there was a loud boom as something busted through the dark barrier that had been surrounding us and hit the massive wave of dark flames. It was dissipated in the large spheres of green and blue light.
Those blasts left a gaping hole at the top of that barrier to reveal the blue sky above. Two flashes of light swooped in through that hole, one blue and the other dark green. The green immediately aimed for Astaroth as he stood there with his wound just about closed, flying at an almost impossible speed so that he didn't have any time to react and hitting him hard enough to send him flying back against one of the thick nearby trees. The impact broke the tree in two, and Astaroth was left trying to lift himself off the ground.
The green flash jumped back, landing so hard that it left an indent in the ground just as Astaroth had done when he'd appeared. Once it did, we could see through the dark green flames dying down around them just who they were.
Chris stared in disbelief, "Jade?"
I could hardly believe it either. It was Jade. He'd come back with a vengeance.
Saffron landed near him. It looked like he'd avoided that giant wave of flames, and the wound on his arm was completely healed. He smiled at Jade, looking very pleased with this turn of events.
"Well, well, well. Look who's decided to finally return to us." he teased.
"Shut up. I'm in no mood for you right now." Jade responded, keeping his voice even. It wasn't hard to detect the anger seething underneath.
The blue light had landed near us, and we could now see that it was another Nephilim. He was fairly tall, with white-blonde hair and dark blue eyes, along with large blue wings. I was certain that he was another Renaldi. He reminded me of Michael, though he seemed a bit more mature and intimidating. He was keeping an eye on where Astaroth was, like he was guarding against another attack on us.
Chris took in a breath to compose himself, then held onto me as we jumped down behind the Nephilim.
"Who..." I started.
"Raphael Renaldi." Chris interrupted, keeping his voice low.
I couldn't believe it. This was Raphael Renaldi? This Nephilim was the one who was supposed to be the oldest and most powerful in all the clans. He was the one that everyone seemed to know about and the one that Jade had taken the time to seek out before. It looked like Jade had turned to him again and come there with him to stop what was currently happening.
Raphael glanced back at us, keeping a flickering blue flame above his right hand so that he was ready to defend against any more attacks.
"It seems that we do have impeccable timing." he agreed with Saffron.
"No kidding." Chris breathed, looking as relieved as he sounded.
Astaroth stood up, glaring at Jade and Saffron, "So, you have allowed this as well. Another traitor has appeared in our mists."
Jade continued staring him down, "Say what you will, but you know that I stand firm when it comes to what I hold close to me, and that boy has always been the most important thing. I will not allow you to kill him or this girl now." he informed him.
"You really believe that you are a match for me with those half-purified wings? Even if your counterpart there was managing to survive, he was still facing down certain death with my shadows." Astaroth sneered.
"I believe that with the two of us we are more than a match for the likes of you, so I will give you one last warning: return to Hell before I send you there in pieces." Jade warned.
Chris took a step back with me, "This is about to get beyond ugly."
"It's what needs to be done. But for now, take your friend and the young lady out of here. We'll deal with this one." Raphael told us.
I looked over to see that Zane still hadn't stood up completely. The two of us hurried over there and Chris knelt down to put an arm under his shoulders.
"Come on. I think that this is just about over." he urged.
We could feel the surge of power coming from the Fallen about ten feet from us. I turned and watched the shadows swirling around Jade, Saffron and Astaroth. They were getting ready to fight again, and this time it was to end the grudge between them for good.
I felt someone grab my right arm and spun around to see that it was Carlton.
"Come on. Let's get you out of here before they really destroy this place." he said.
Raphael opened up another hole in the darkness for us to escape. I could barely believe all of the light there as we stepped out of it. It looked like the three Seraphs had managed to clear up the darkness that had overtaken the house when Astaroth had arrived.
Looking up to the sky as Carlton kept an arm around my shoulders, I could see all three of them flying above the house, surveying the darkness that had surrounded the one area near it. I could barely believe my eyes. All three had six wings coming out of their backs, and seemed to be just floating there, not using them at all.
This didn't faze Chris or Zane at all. In fact, Chris reacted very angrily when he saw them.
"What the hell is this?! I thought you said that you three were going to protect her no matter what!" he yelled at them.
The three landed in front of us, their wings remaining out.
"We apologize for our delays. The one like Astaroth tend to get a one up on us at times, especially when they use dirty tactics such as this. It's taken a lot of effort for us to clear away his miasma even from this small area due to his own status as a Prince of Hell." Kinsley admitted.
"Bullshit! That's just an excuse!" Chris accused.
Thankfully Zane was getting his bearings back. He grabbed Chris's arms before he could move towards them.
"Calm down Christoff! This is not the time to argue with them!"
"I don't care! They're saying that they've underestimated a Fallen and even put the lives of their own Nephilim in danger! How the hell are they any different than those other angels?!" Chris countered.
Malakai suddenly stepped forward, giving him a stern look. It was enough to stun Chris into silence.
"That's enough. What's done is done and we certainly had no intention of harm coming to any here, especially our own. Even we can underestimate situations when it comes to certain factors, and it's best not to forget who Astaroth is. He too was a Seraphim when he fell and retains that power within the darkness now. Even we have struggles against his darkness because of that." he explained. His voice remained even, but there was an air of authority within it.
Kinsley spoke up as he moved between them. He must've sensed how on edge all of this had made Malakai. Not that it was that surprising to me when I thought about it. I'd had the sense since I'd met him that he was very protective of those around him, and would argue points for it if he had to.
"Alright. This is no time to lose tempers or accuse. What has happened stands, but you should be thankful that Saffron managed to get in there and that Jade came with a reinforcement. Although we do have a bone to pick with that half purified Fallen when he comes back out for not allowing us a way in."
"Why am I not surprised?" Chris muttered. He took a long breath to calm himself completely.
Again, I wasn't surprised. Of course Saffron wouldn't allow them to help. He probably wasn't that happy that he had to put up with these Seraphs and their families in the first place.
Carlton and Mark looked over at the now dissipating darkness.
"Looks like this one is over for now." Carlton noted.
"Yeah, but I don't like it either. Raphael better have reeled in that Fallen he brought with him. It's bad enough that we've had to put up with the other one." Mark complained, crossing his arms.
By then the darkness was all but gone. We could now see only three figures remaining there. Jade and Saffron were standing near the same spot that they'd been in, but there was now a large crack in the ground in front of them that was lined by black soot. I took it that was what was left from Astaroth. They'd sent him back down to the bowls of Hell again. At least for now. I didn't think that anything could truly contain a demon forever.
Malakai was relieved as he regarded Raphael, "You've done well Raphael. You brought Jade back much faster than I anticipated."
"I appreciate the praise, but I admit that it was pretty difficult reeling this one in. These Fallen are troublesome." Raphael responded as he walked over to us.
Jade wasn't bothered by his words, "It's only in how we are perceived. But I will say that I do not like the idea of bowing to a Nephilim." he responded.
The others had begun joining us out there too. Kira seemed relieved to see that Zane and Mark were okay. She hurried over to check both of them for injuries, though she was more concerned about Zane as she saw all of the blood on the front of his shirt.
"Are you sure you're alright?" she asked as she checked his neck.
"It's okay. I promise I'm fine," Zane assured her. He glanced at her brother, "but I must say that I was quite impressed with Mark back there. You're stronger than you've let on."
"Call it a product of plenty of experience with different creatures. But I'm kind of pissed that he messed up my clothes. These aren't cheap." Mark complained, looking at the rips in his sleeves and one pants leg. He then looked at Kira, "I see you held your own too. It must not have been too bad out here."
"Don't even go there. We had just as many of those rotten shadows to deal with. I'm just glad that we had Kinsley and the others with us to help." Kira pouted. She was still checking Zane's neck. She must not have believed him about being okay.
Michael stepped over to Raphael, "I see that you had to come after all. Are you sure you're okay with leaving Eli for a while?" he asked him.
"He'll be fine. I've left him with Raziel and Anna, so I know that he'll stay safe while we take care of this." Raphael assured him. He glanced at me, "Besides, you know I couldn't simply sit by when this girl's life and her child's are in danger."
"Um, who is Eli?" I spoke up.
"His youngest son. I must admit that for one of Malakai's he's quite the sight too." Jade commented.
"You'd do best to keep yourself away from him while you're carrying darkened blood. I don't take kindly to threats against my children." Raphael warned him.
"Of course you don't. But then, neither do we." Jade replied curtly.
He moved to stand in front of Chris. For a long moment, the two stood still, staring each other down. I wondered what was about to happen. Chris and Jade had never gotten along that well before, and a part of me doubted that they would now, whether Jade was half purified or not.
Chris finally broke the silence, "So, you've decided to help us after all."
"You'd really think so?" Jade asked him, sounding as cocky as ever.
"You wouldn't have allowed Raphael to bring you here if you didn't, and you definitely wouldn't have that green in your wings. I know that you've allowed that to happen." Chris countered, glancing at the wings that were still out on Jade's back.
Jade shrugged, "I suppose that answers enough. However, I never said that I was comfortable with all of this, especially for what this Seraphita's already done to you."
Micah spoke up, "I believe that we should save all of this for later. For now, let us get inside and make sure that Ariana is comfortable. Keeping her out here after this may present more risk." he told all of us.
I wasn't about to argue. I didn't want to be out there anymore than I had to after all of this. Chris looked at Jade for a second, then turned to lead me inside. But not before I noticed the slight smirk still on Jade's face. It made me feel a little more wary about this whole situation.
But I just had to accept it, because hopefully now we had two Fallen on our side.