Celestial Wars Ch. 02

His sword swung wildly at my head, and I was forced to skitter away. His side had been exposed for a moment, but I had promised not to kill him. I would need him to attack once more. Then I would see the answer in the steel... this was my gift.

The red-haired man turned and bore down on me with hateful eyes.

"Coward!" yelled someone in the crowd.

Harry charged again. I easily turned his thrust. The swords made a sweet song as metal met metal and sparks jumped. My feet pivoted, and I darted my sword up in a half-teasing feint that made him leap backwards.

The good humor of the sailors had vanished. After an elegant move like that, even a fool could see that Harry would lose eventually.

What they couldn't know was that I already had the measure of him. They couldn't know that I saw how this man moved better than he ever would. After just two exchanges, I could see him.

Harry came forward. I met his gaze without faltering. Something he saw there made him pause, not for long... but long enough.

Then I moved. I moved in a way that spoke of five hundred years spent with a sword in my hand.

A rich, sparkling ring filled the air as Harry's sword spun through the air and over the side of the ship.

He had switched his grip for his thrust... a beginner's mistake. I would have made my squire run with water buckets in his hands had he done that in practice.

With Harry unarmed, the fight was over. I slipped my sword out, almost as an afterthought, and sliced his cheek gently.

A small drop of blood seeped from the wound. It probably wouldn't even scar.

Harry reached a hand up to his cheek and scowled.

I extended my hand, about to offer him peace, when I was interrupted. Captain Adrien's voice sounded from above on the quarterdeck.

"What in God's name is going on out here?" cried the fat man, his cultured tones high and distressed.

One of the sailors spoke. "Sir, if it please you, these passengers you've taken on insulted Harry's dead da!"

I looked up at Adrien. His beady eyes were sweeping over his crew... taking in every face and expression. "Is this true, Mr. Wright?"

Harry's face broke into a slow, sick smile. He winked at me before turning and looking up at his captain.

"Aye, sir, what he says is true. Me honor demanded we fight."

I didn't hear the Captain's reply. I had already guessed at what he would do... what he would have to do. Mutiny is a word that always lingers in the shadows of a Captain's mind

My eyes had drifted and I was staring aimlessly at the night sky. It was clear and calm in the way it can only be at sea. My gaze almost slipped right over an inky blot in the distance.

Concentration focused my sight, and I could make out a shape.

There were dark wings on the horizon.

***

-Daniel-

My hands were clenched and shaking at my sides.

That filthy liar! Harry Wright was a sinner that needed a sharp point through his black heart. Jon had fought exceedingly well, moving with a precision that had seemed almost supernatural. The man moved only when he needed to, and no more.

Despite his ability, Jon was far too soft with this vagabond.

Captain Adrien seemed like a shrewd man. I doubted he would believe Harry's story for a moment.

Maria glanced at me from the small nook she had managed to find. Her face was mostly in shadow. I could only make out a few strands of blonde hair that caught the lantern light.

"Well," Captain Adrien said after Harry finished his tale, "it would seem I've picked up a couple of ruffians masquerading as gentle folk."

My mouth opened. I stood there looking on at this farce like a gawping peasant.

The Captain shook his head. "I really must confess myself embarrassed. I let them onto my ship because I thought them to be civilized, but now that I think about it, they've given me no titles or reasons for this journey. They're most likely on the run. Surely the gold they carry is stolen."

The crew were smiling and edging about with unspent energy. My hand drifted to my hilt.

"Lads!" the captain said after a dramatic pause, "seize these rogues and take their gold off them. We'll throw them overboard in the name of the King's Justice."

Daniel! Vraiel suddenly shouted in my head, I sense potent Dark magic flying in off the sea.

Before I could respond, Maria gasped softly next to me. "Is that my Master?" she asked as she pointed to a creature born aloft by the Dark wings of the damned.

***

-Jon-

Ezrih was now visible to everyone on deck. His dark wings thrummed softly as they beat the night air, a small trail of crimson magic floating behind him. A spell of silence enraptured the crew. Captain Adrien stopped his speech and simply watched, his fat face slack with rapture.

Ezrih touched down gently onto the ship. The dark magic swirling around him made the cold sea air frigid and biting.

The Bra'rul had long, midnight-black hair that fell past his shoulder blades. His face was bone white and slender, and his eyes glowed a bright, pulsing red. He was, perhaps, slightly too angular to be handsome.

To the crew, he must have looked like the Angel of Death, come to collect them.

He favored me with a small bow. "Greetings, brother," Ezrih said. "I come on behalf of the Master."

I returned his bow. Normally a Bra'rul would never bow to a human... but I sat close at Devnikolus' side.

"Your timing is good, Ezrih," I said. "These men were about to throw us overboard."

The demon's eyes glittered, and he bared his clawed hands. "I've come to bring you and the two you travel with to the manor. I will gladly kill the rest."

This stirred the crew, who had been looking on with horror. Dark magic has that effect on mortals. Simply being in its presence could freeze you in terror.

"It's a monster!" screamed a crew member as he drew his sword and looked about, wild-eyed, wondering why no one else was moving.

Captain Adrien found his voice. "Men!" he shrieked, "they're not just thieves! They are the damned! They've made deals with the Devil and his spawn! Burn that thing! Burn it!"

The Captain pulled one of the lanterns off the ship's cabin and hurled it at Ezrih. A dark wing unfurled and slapped the lantern away. It tumbled overboard.

"Those two are my companions, brother," I said as I pointed out Maria and Daniel to Ezrih. "The rest are yours."

The Bra'rul's unnaturally long tongue slithered out and licked his pointed teeth. "Very well," he said.

***

-Alarial-

Shrieks of pain echoed loudly on the ship, followed by the moans of dying men and the sound of hot gore dripping on wooden planks. The demon was fast... too fast to see. He would disappear for moments at a time, and then materialize on the other side of the ship, where he would rend another sailor into shreds with his claws.

I tried to close my eyes and tell myself that these were wicked men. But the sounds of pain are the same from any man or woman. Tears dripped down my face.

Daniel put a hand on my shoulder, offering me an awkward embrace. It was sweet and I appreciated it.

***

It was over in about a minute.

Ezrih stood before us amongst a scattering of bodies, his arms stained with blood up to the elbows.

"Come now," the demon said in a dry, raspy voice. "We've spent too long here, already. I must have you returned before sunrise."

I tried not to look at a severed hand that was still curled around a sword.

I decided to talk...it might distract me from the eyes that were still open but unseeing.

"How are we going to get there? You can't carry all of us," I said. It unnerved me to speak to a creature that had just slaughtered twenty men.

"I will transform," Ezrih said patiently, "and you will all get on my back."

"What do you—?" I stopped as Jon held up a hand.

"Watch," Jon said.

Ezrih glowed red, until his entire form was outlined in a malevolent scarlet. His body grew outward, his wings larger.

When the light died down, a true monster sat before us.

It had a massive black body covered in thick fur. It had a long serpent-like neck and head that ended in a snout that looked as if it belonged to a wolf. Both its forelegs and hind legs ended in massive black claws. The wings were still made of black feathers, but they were larger now.

These descriptions were accurate, yet also woefully inarticulate. In short, the monster in front of us looked like nothing I'd ever seen before, and nothing I had ever imagined.

"Climb on, Maria," Jon said softly. "He'll take us back to Devnik."

I nodded and took his hand.

Chapter 10

Jealousy

Hush now my baby you're safe where you lay,

The forest is napping, now sleep and let be.

Hush now my baby you'll wake all the fae,

The forest is stirring, you must hear my plea.

Hush now my baby they seek out young prey

The forest is moving, they'll steal you from me...

-Forgotten Lullaby-

-Cariel-

The dark iron chains felt cool against my heated flesh.

That was the first sensation that came to me... as my mind slowly clawed its way out of the deeper place it had fled to. I could still feel the pieces of that place in my mind... and I knew it would only get easier. I knew I would find myself there more often.

That was the place where submission was as natural as breathing. Where obedience covered all thought with a thick warmth that felt like safety and acceptance.

I could feel Devnikolus' hot seed leaking from my still pulsing sex, and then slithering down the inside of my thigh. It slid over one of the welts the belt had inflicted, and the sting of it made me jump in my bonds.

"You look exquisite, little one," said the demon in the room.

I opened my eyes. I hadn't remembered shutting them.

He was standing in front of me. His dark hair had tumbled over his pale face and obscured one of his red eyes. He was wearing a boyish smile that made him seem young and happy, and carefree.

"Every time I look at your face, I can see just a little bit more of what you will become," he said softly. With a grace that should be denied to evil, he traced his pale fingertips across my forehead and over the hair that sweat had pressed to my face.

We both knew what I was becoming. "Have I been sufficiently punished, Master?" I asked in a tone that conveyed no contrition.

Devnikolus laughed. It sounded like a deep rumble. It sounded like the laugh of the male who dominated me.

Something deep in my belly tightened again.

"No," he said. "I'm afraid not."

I stiffened. Surely, there couldn't be more? The backs of my thighs throbbed in time with my heartbeat. My sex felt sore and sated.

"I'm afraid I had more than one reason to dress you in chains."

I didn't like where this was going. "Why?' I asked, in a voice that didn't quite convey how much I wanted to both kill and kiss him. Then I remembered he hadn't ever kissed me... and that made me sad.

Devnikolus ignored my question and started to move about the room. He returned the belt to the wardrobe, and then he slipped out the door.

A hot flash of anger rippled through me. I swear on all that is Light, if he left me here I will gut him.

But then he returned a moment later, carrying a hot washcloth. Steam curled off it, and it was dripping slightly. He met my eyes for a moment and gave me a small smile. Before I could say anything, he began to clean me. The towel burned pleasantly as it moved down my thighs.

A small, traitorous sigh snuck through my lips.

Then he softly dabbed my sex... and I couldn't suppress a full-throated moan. A part of my mind broke off from the rest. It danced about madly in the corners of my being... and it chanted:

I will never have enough of him...

I will never have enough of him...

I will never have enough of him.

The rest of me was trying to gather itself. I managed to get my mouth to form words... even though my mind was busy fracturing. "Why did you want me in the chains?" I asked in a voice that sounded small and girly.

"I have to go out tonight," he said, not looking up from his task, "and you have demonstrated an uncanny knack for getting in the way."

The nerve... "I could break these chains if I wanted to," I said haughtily.

He looked up at me and grinned. "Could you?" he asked, like a parent to a willful child. "Show me."

I gave him a sharp, brittle smile with too many teeth. "Of course," I said. My magic gathered around as I called it. Blue lighting crackled around me, and I could feel my limbs fill up with tremendous strength. With this power I could stave in a rock wall with one mighty blow... I could rip a man apart like a lightning bolt might split a tree.

I yanked at the chains. The manacles pulled sharply on my wrists as the chain pulled taut and still. They clanked and rattled, but none of the links bent or broke.

"Seithi Rei!" I shrieked, frantically pulling and twisting in my bonds like a wild woman. The chains remained hard and unforgiving. A dull ache traveled up my arms as I expended all my magic... and then finally, I fell still and silent.

How had Alarial broken his chains? I thought despondently. Perhaps he fashioned stronger ones for me...

Through all of this, Devnikolus stood patiently, his hands clasped behind his back, his red eyes dancing. One side of his mouth was turned up into a little half smile.

Damn him.

-Devnik-

The little redhead breathed heavily as she gazed up at me. Her proud breasts rose and fell rhythmically, and a light red flush had crept into her cheeks. All that sweet, pale flesh had wobbled wonderfully as she had tried to free herself.

I wanted to bite her again. I wanted to sink myself into her so hard and long that she'd forget what it felt like to not have me inside her. I wanted her on her knees, slavishly kissing my feet while whispering her devotion to me. I wanted all of these things... but I couldn't stay and claim them. There was much to do this night, and much that could go wrong.

Tonight was the night I would get my darling sweet Maria back... and that was more important.

However, Orias' visions weren't always perfect. Great powers could divert the river of the future, and I had to be careful. Part of this caution called for Cariel to be bound in chains. She was willful and not yet completely broken to my will. I trusted that the mental commands of the collar would hold her, and I also trusted that she would bait the chains magnificently for another.

Still, so much could go wrong. Tonight was rife with variables, as Orias liked to call them.

"Are you finished trying to escape, little one?" I asked soothingly, as if I were trying to calm a scared animal.

She looked up at me with hooded eyes. "Yes, Master," she said in a strained, breathy voice.

"Good," I said, and I lay a cool hand on the hot flesh of her flank. Cariel shivered at my touch and leaned into it imperceptibly. I doubted she even realized she craved our contact. I brought my hand up her side and briefly hefted one of her breasts.

Soft, firm flesh rose in my cupped palm. Her eyes widened and she looked at me with a wild, untamed lust... completely separate from civilized thought. I let go of her breast and stepped back.

"What is happening tonight?" Cariel asked in a voice of forced calm. "What did you tell those Bra'rul to do? Why do I need to be restrained?"

I shook my head and offered her a small smile. "I can't tell you that, Cariel. All I can say is that I will be back before the sun rises in four hours."

She opened her mouth to speak, but I was already collapsing into black smoke. Before she said a word, I had disappeared altogether.

***

If a witless human had been standing in the field I had chosen, they would have seen something strange. They would have seen a dark mist rising and twisting from the ground... writhing like it was angry and sentient, moving swiftly and silently. Sparks of red would be seen deep within it... as it formed the shape of a man.

Then they would have seen me, standing in a dark field five miles from my mansion. But they wouldn't have known it was me, Lord Devnikolus, Hellish Prince of Destruction and Unmaking. They would have simply seen a dark-haired man in a cloak, pinned with a ruby, and black vest... with brown eyes that looked almost red.

But sadly, there was no one around to witness my greatness... which was a pity... because what I planned on doing next was truly impressive.

I reached my hand into Hell and pulled out a sword. But it was not my sword. This sword was dented and scratched along the blade. It had a simple leather handle that was torn and singed in places.

Along the side of the blade, the words 'Merciful Mary' glowed a faint blue when they caught the light. In my hands, I held the sword of a Judicar.

***

Earlier this Night

"Tonight, there are things you must do," Orias said as he pushed his hand upwards through a rend in creation. He pulled out a worn and weary-looking sword that pulsed with Light magic.

"For instance," Orias continued, "you must destroy this sword tonight using Destruction."

"Is that a Judicar's sword?" I asked. "How did you come by that?"

Orias tapped the table with his free hand. "Devnik, I don't really have time to tell you. Now, listen, you must pick a place away from your mansion and use Destruction to destroy the sword. This will kill the angel bound up within it."

Most Judicars thought that the angel bound to them resided within their physical bodies... but the angel really resided within the sword that they carried. That is why they are told not to break the sword. Usually, if they did break it, the angel would simply slip back into heaven.

That wouldn't be the case if I fed it to my flames.

Orias looked at me pointedly. "You know what this will do. The Light is extremely sensitive to the death of one of their own. I imagine that a sortie of Legionnaires will be dispatched within the hour."

"Why do I want to attract Legionnaires to myself?" I asked darkly, not liking the sound of this plan.

"Because the death of one angel will bring the Legionnaires running," he said. "The slaughter of an entire sortie will bring the greater entity of the Light running. Lucifer is hoping this will leave his prize unguarded."

Orias handed me the sword, saying, "One thing always leads to another."

***

Present

I sat down with my legs crossed on the grass. In front of me, the Judicar sword stood upright with its point stuck forcefully into the ground. 'Merciful Mary' glinted sadly in the light in front of me, and I briefly wondered who the sword belonged to. The Judicar had to still be alive. The bond was broken if they died.

I wondered if the angel in the blade was aware of what was about to happen. I wondered if they were hoping that their Judicar would die of a heart attack in the next few minutes so that they could escape to heaven.

No matter. I closed my eyes and sought out Destruction.

"We are here, Master..." the black flames whispered. "We are hungry... and it is a beautiful night. Let us dance for you under the light of the ever-shimmering moon."

"I have grown weary of your disobedience in the past," I said aloud.

"Please, Master... all we wanted was to show our service. We have been shut away from you for so long. We miss your love."

"So be it," I said.

I lowered my mental barriers and directed my power.

Small shadow flames guttered and sparked at the ground around the sword sheathed in the earth. The grass around the sword didn't burn. I kept Destruction focused and intent.